SABER: Navy-Engineered Cybersecurity System with APL Innovation for Enhanced Situational Awareness and Boundary Enforcement

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) has played a key role in developing a Navy-engineered cybersecurity system designed to protect surface ships from cyber threats, according to an April 21, 2026 announcement. The system, known as Situational Awareness, Boundary Enforcement, and Response (SABER), continuously monitors critical shipboard systems for signs of cyberattack and provides crews with actionable alerts for defense and remediation.

SABER is designed to safeguard a range of vital systems aboard Navy vessels, including hull, mechanical, and electrical (HM&E) components, navigation, and combat systems. By operating autonomously and providing continuous oversight, the system aims to enhance mission assurance in environments where cyber threats are persistent and evolving.

The growing concern over cyberattacks targeting naval platforms — particularly smaller ships such as destroyers and frigates — has driven the need for reliable, integrated defenses. SABER addresses this by combining boundary protection with situational awareness to detect, identify, and respond to cyber events in real time.

According to Vamsi Maddula, Cyber Resilient Platforms program manager at APL, the deployment of SABER across the fleet reflects a broader effort to strengthen the resilience of military infrastructure against digital threats. “With SABER being deployed to the fleet at large, we are creating tools that will enhance mission assurance in a cyber-contested environment,” Maddula stated in the announcement.

The capabilities embedded in SABER draw on more than a decade of research, demonstrative events, and technical leadership from APL, in collaboration with government and industry partners. These efforts have focused on creating a system that not only detects anomalies but also supports crew decision-making during potential cyber incidents.

SABER functions as a boundary defense system integrated within different platform enclaves aboard Navy ships. It performs continuous monitoring of naval control systems and is designed to support the full cybersecurity cycle: identification, protection, detection, response, and recovery from cyber events.

The Naval Sea Systems Command’s Cyber Engineering & Digital Transformation directorate oversaw the development of SABER, which is now being produced and supported through contracts with industry partners. One such agreement, awarded in August 2025, provides nearly $87.5 million to Hexagon US Federal Inc.’s Huntsville operation for the production of SABER computing hardware, spare parts, and engineering support, with work expected to be completed by November 2028.

As cyber threats to military infrastructure grow in complexity and frequency, systems like SABER represent a focused effort to embed resilient cybersecurity directly into operational platforms. By combining automated monitoring with human-in-the-loop response options, the Navy aims to maintain operational readiness even under digital attack.