Blockchain as a Cybersecurity Enabler in Federated Networks for Resilience and Interoperability
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: In increasingly interconnected tactical environments, cybersecurity, trust, and interoperability must evolve in tandem. Federated Coalition Networks (FCNs) enable multinational cooperation while preserving national sovereignty; however, the secure management of identities, policies, and configurations across coalition domains remains a critical challenge, particularly under adversarial and resource-constrained conditions. This paper proposes a blockchain-enabled management framework aligned with the defense-in-depth paradigm, focusing on management-plane functions such as policy enforcement, public key infrastructure (PKI) management, and auditable governance, rather than time-critical tactical communications. The solution relies on a permissioned blockchain architecture with Byzantine Fault Tolerant consensus, avoiding energy-intensive Proof-of-Work mechanisms and supporting operation under Disconnected, Intermittent, and Low-bandwidth (DIL) conditions. A coalition-level trust-and-governance model is introduced to prevent unilateral control while preserving national autonomy. A realistic use case and a proof-of-concept implementation demonstrate the feasibility of the approach, showing bounded latency, limited energy overhead, and sufficient throughput for FCN management. These results indicate that appropriately tailored blockchain solutions can effectively enhance resilience, trust, and compliance in federated defense networks.
DOI: 10.3390/jcp6020054
Authors: Jorge Álvaro González, Ana María Saiz García, Victor Monzon Baeza
Institution: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,207
OpenAlex ID: W7135238926