AES and SST Together at Last

Since the last century RDT&E communications have had a, usually hard, requirement to transmit Serial Streaming Telemetry (SST) using a secure means. This security has been accomplished by using a DoD provided and managed encryption algorithm and support system. Today there is a growing trend to provide a secure channel not by using the traditional DoD encryption algorithm but by using commercial and open-source algorithms. This paper will discuss two modes of using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) commercial algorithm to support secure SST systems. One mode is popularly used and fielded. The second mode is a novel approach that simplifies the AES implementation.