The U.S. Navy has begun deploying the Situational Awareness, Boundary Enforcement and Response, or SABER, system fleetwide to monitor and defend shipboard systems against cyberthreats.
The 2026 Cyber Summit, hosted by Potomac Officers Club on May 21, will feature a panel discussion focused on maintaining mission operations in contested cyber environments. Register now!
SABER is designed to continuously track activity across critical ship functions, including hull, mechanical and electrical systems; navigation; and combat systems, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory said Tuesday, noting that SABER is equipped with tools it developed in partnership with the government and industry partners.
The system autonomously detects potential cyber incidents and provides crew members with response options to mitigate threats. SABER addresses the growing vulnerability of naval platforms to cyberattacks, specifically targeting the security needs of surface ships deployed in contested zones.
“With SABER being deployed to the fleet at large, we are creating tools that will enhance mission assurance in a cyber-contested environment,” said Vamsi Maddula, program manager for cyber resilient platforms at Johns Hopkins APL.
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What Does SABER Deliver?
SABER integrates multiple cybersecurity tools into a single operational framework to provide visibility and protection across ship systems.
It builds on earlier activities under APL’s SEACHANGE initiative, which previously evaluated situational awareness technologies and developed guidance necessary to operationalize cyber warfare capabilities aboard naval vessels, and complementary efforts focused on HM&E systems, the Ship Self-Defense System and shipboard navigation systems.
How Will the Navy Expand SABER Deployment?
As a new program of record, SABER will be deployed as the Navy’s primary cybersecurity tool suite.
According to Maddula, a common cybersecurity architecture designed by APL is being implemented to bring SABER to additional shipboard environments and replace legacy protections.
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