In 2011 the F35-A acquisition program within Capability Sustainment and Acquisition Group (CASG) identified that the F35-A support systems architecture required the transmission of potentially sensitive and Australian only data between Australia and the centralised Lockheed Martin enterprise sustainment systems in the United States. This architecture was inconsistent with existing Defence information assurance policy and a fix would be required.
Over the last 9 years JL2 Group Senior Systems Engineers have been working within the CASG IPT and alongside the US Program Office and international partners to address this issue.
JL2 on behalf of the Commonwealth and together with other international partners and the US JPO developed a set of common requirements for the development of a solution for the Sovereign Data issue. JL2 working with the UK MoD recommended the joint development of a sovereign technical solution that would both integrate with the LM provided ALIS system, but would also address Australia’s information assurance concerns.
In March of 2020, JL2 Group led the installation and commissioning of the new Sovereign Data Gateway at RAAF Base Williamtown. This was the culmination of many years of design, testing and verification jointly undertaken by the JSF IPT, JL2 Group, the UK MoD and Waymont Consulting in the UK. The SDG solution will allow Australia to inspect and verify data flowing to and from the US based systems protecting sensitive and personal information and addressing the burgeoning cyber security requirements of the modern Air Force.