NORFOLK, Va. — Members of U.S. Submarine Force, (COMSUBFOR) team were recognized for their groundbreaking achievements in cybersecurity and strategic communications, earning nominations for the Department of the Navy (DON) Information Superiority Excellence Awards, during the DON Digital Warfighting Symposium East 2026 in Norfolk, Va, May 12, 2026..
The recognition highlights two distinct efforts, the development of the Strategic IP Data Analytics (SIDA) system by the COMSUBFOR team and the leadership of Richard Okrasinski, Commander, Submarine Force, Atlantic N6, selected as the DON Information Superiority Excellence Award winner for Person of the Year, in modernizing expeditionary communications.
Facing a critical bandwidth limitation where submarines were losing 8GB of data per day to network overhead, the COMSUBFOR team partnered with Johns Hopkins University to create SIDA. The system acted as a digital shield and scalpel, simultaneously neutralizing “Red Team†cyber threats and carving away unnecessary data traffic to ensure vital operational information reached commanders without delay.
The nomination cited that the SIDA initiative provides the DON with a resilient, efficient, and modern cybersecurity capability, noting that the system successfully blocked 70 malicious inbound connections and secured critical mission pathways.
“Operating in a disconnected, bandwidth-constrained environment is one of the greatest challenges our submarine fleet faces,†said Phill Caswell, Commander, Submarine Force Pacific N6. “Our goal was clear: we needed to ensure vital operational data reached our commanders faster, without compromising security. Through the development and deployment of the SIDA capability, the team achieved exactly that. This wasn't just an IT upgrade; it was a fundamental enhancement to our submarine warfighting effectiveness.â€
In addition to these technical milestones, Okrasinski was recognized for his leadership in overhauling the way the ‘Silent Service' communicates. Under his leadership, the Navy achieved a historic milestone, the first successful transmission of an Emergency Action Message to a U.S. submarine via an Expeditionary VLF and Allied Transmitters.
“This award is recognition for building a team that is hungry to help the Sailors in the fleet complete their mission and come home, with as much ease as possible,' said Okransinski. “We strive every day to provide the commanding officers and the crews of the Submarine Force all the information and capabilities they need to be successful. We look at every cyber or communication tool we provide and ask, “Does this make an operational impact?†If it does not support the operation and becomes burdensome, we get rid of it or change it. If it is not useful to the commanding officer, then it's not going to the fleet.â€
Okrasinski directed the rapid rollout of Project Overmatch across the submarine fleet, keeping the Force connected in contested areas. By using “Zero Trust†rules, he fundamentally hardened submarine networks against adversary attacks.
These achievements represent a major win for the Submarine Force, ensuring boats stay undetected, protected, and connected in any environment.
