Name: Michelle Ayaim
Date: July 11, 2025
Organization: NIWC Atlantic

For the past few weeks, I’ve been shadowing cybersecurity specialists as they handle
network security and cybersecurity on two very distinct US Navy ships. Until recently, I had
assumed that a ship was a ship, but this is not the case. The United States Navy’s destroyers and aircraft carriers are both impressive ships with very diverse duties and configurations,
particularly when it comes to network security and cybersecurity standards.

Often called a DDG (Guided Missile Destroyer), a destroyer is a swift, compact warship
built for tactical combat. It seeks to perform several tasks, especially surface warfare, anti-
aircraft, and anti-submarine warfare. With a crew of around 300, destroyers are compact,
mission-focused vessels that are outfitted with all the tools necessary to strike, defend, and maneuver with ease. A carrier is a floating airbase, also referred to as a CVN (Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier). It transports more than 70 airplanes and houses around 5,000 crew members. Its sole mission is to project power internationally by deploying planes for battle, surveying, and humanitarian assistance.

Their cybersecurity and network infrastructure differ according to their specific goals and sizes. Both ships come with ADNS (Automated Digital Network System), and this allows secure communication outside the ship. They also use the Nessus scanner to look for weaknesses in the ship’s network. These shared features are part of the Navy’s baseline cybersecurity package and provide basic threat prevention for both ships.

Beyond that, destroyers emphasize lean systems. They use technologies like ACAS for vulnerability scanning, VRAM for patch management, and Security Onion for intrusion detection. They employ Elastic Stack and RedSeal to monitor networks and analyze logs. These tools keep destroyers flexible, secure, and mission-ready while avoiding excessive complexity.

Carriers, on the other hand, dig deeper. Because of their size and crew, they have extra features like Career Development Team (CDT) capabilities for managing Sailors’ professional development, as well as more advanced meteorology and GPS systems to assist flight operations. Carriers also have X-ray screening installations to deal with the large volume of cargo and the people they handle.

Their cybersecurity products are designed to handle larger, more complicated networks with increased resources and expanded responsibilities. Both ships depend on ROM 3, a technology for managing retail shop activities onboard, like inventory monitoring and transaction processing. However, carriers frequently have extended ROM 3 modules due to increased staff and retail demand.

Nonetheless, destroyers are intended for speed and precision with simpler systems, whereas carriers are designed for size, coordination, and worldwide military projection. Their cybersecurity settings mirror differences, which are better suited for the work they do. Never in a million years would I have known such information. There hasn’t been a dull moment for me in this internship, and I am loving every moment of it as well as learning as much as I can