The U.S. Navy awarded a $23.13 million contract to South Carolina-based Integer Technologies to develop cybersecurity measures for warship power systems to help naval platforms withstand cyberattacks without disrupting critical operations.
The War Department announced the contract on October 28 and funded the research under the Threat Resilient Integrated Defense for Enhanced Naval Technologies (TRIDENT) program. Integer Technologies will work with Florida State University and its Center for Advanced Power Systems to develop zero-trust security frameworks tailored to onboard power networks.
The six-year contract has a 36-month base term and a 36-month option term commencing 12 months after execution. The work is expected to be completed in October 2030. The Navy has committed $10.13 million to fund the base life.
Why onboard energy systems need cyber defenses
Warship power grids are used to power more than just lights and routine shipboard equipment. They distribute power to machines, control systems, sensors and other business-critical devices. On ships with integrated power systems, electricity can also support advanced weapons and high-performance sensors.
The Navy’s Office of Naval Research identifies safe control methods and resilient power distribution as important requirements for future naval power systems.
A cyberattack targeting these networks could potentially impact monitoring or control functions, making it difficult for crews to understand the health of the system or respond to errors. Defending them requires more than protecting traditional IT networks because the digital systems involved interact directly with physical devices.
The challenge is to maintain cybersecurity without slowing down the time-critical control processes required for secure power distribution.
Zero Trust for Warship Power Grids
TRIDENT will explore Threat-Informed Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA), a security model that does not automatically trust users, devices or connections simply because they are already on a network.
Instead, access must be verified, permissions restricted, and system behavior monitored. Security controls can also isolate connected systems so that a compromised component has less opportunity to affect other parts of the network.
However, for on-board power systems, these measures must take into account the requirements for low latency and the coexistence of old devices with newer technologies. Some older systems may have limited security features or may not support modern authentication methods without significant changes.
The Navy’s research aims to help ships remain aware of their cyber and physical operating conditions, dynamically adapt their defenses and remain functional during adversary attacks.
In April 2026, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and other federal agencies released guidance on adapting Zero Trust to operational technology. The guidance emphasizes that security measures must take into account the reliability and security requirements of systems that control physical processes.
Research could help prevent ships from continuing to be attacked
Integer Technologies and its research partners will explore ways to apply these principles to marine power grids while maintaining system performance. The contract announcement does not identify specific classes of ships that will receive the technology, nor does it confirm that a deployable system has already been developed.
The work is part of a larger project to make naval systems more resilient to cyber intrusions. The Office of Naval Research’s cyber resiliency program also focuses on protecting complex naval systems that combine legacy hardware, software and interconnected controls.
If TRIDENT research produces effective solutions, the Navy could gain new methods for detecting suspicious activity, restricting unauthorized access, and maintaining the performance of electrical systems during cyber incidents.
At a time when warships are increasingly reliant on connected electrical and digital systems, the goal is to ensure that a cyberattack does not result in the loss of critical ship functions.
