Analyzing Zero Trust Risk Tradeoffs for Weapon Systems
• SEI Report
Publisher
Software Engineering Institute
DOI (Digital Object Identifier)
10.1184/R1/33806665Topic or Tag
Abstract
Zero trust is a security strategy where every user, application, system, and device is untrusted by default, and verification and authorization are required for every access attempt. A core tenet of zero trust is that today’s infrastructures no longer have clearly defined perimeters. The zero trust philosophy changes how organizations implement their security strategies, shifting them from perimeter-based security models to data-centric security models. Much of the available zero trust guidance focuses on applying its concepts to enterprise information technology (EIT) environments. The Department of War (DoW) is on the path to implementing zero trust in weapon systems, which generally have different requirements than EIT systems. DoW stakeholders need guidance on how to tailor and adapt zero trust to weapon system platforms. To help address this need, the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) conducted a study to analyze the tradeoffs that engineering stakeholders should consider when implementing zero trust in a weapon system. This report documents the results of that study and highlights 15 questions that stakeholders can use to analyze tradeoffs across the systems lifecycle, from initial requirements through the operation and sustainment of a deployed weapon system.
Cite This SEI Report
Alberts, C., Morrow, T., Brown, R., & Sconiers-Hasan, M. (2026, November 10). Analyzing Zero Trust Risk Tradeoffs for Weapon Systems. Retrieved November 11, 2026, from https://doi.org/10.1184/R1/33806665.
@techreport{alberts_2026,
author={Alberts, Christopher and Morrow, Timothy and Brown, Rhonda and Sconiers-Hasan, McKinley},
title={Analyzing Zero Trust Risk Tradeoffs for Weapon Systems},
month={Nov},
year={2026},
institution={Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University},
doi={10.1184/R1/33806665},
url={https://doi.org/10.1184/R1/33806665},
note={Accessed: 2026-Nov-11}
}
Alberts, Christopher, Timothy Morrow, Rhonda Brown, and McKinley Sconiers-Hasan. "Analyzing Zero Trust Risk Tradeoffs for Weapon Systems." Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, November 10, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1184/R1/33806665.
C. Alberts, T. Morrow, R. Brown, and M. Sconiers-Hasan, "Analyzing Zero Trust Risk Tradeoffs for Weapon Systems," Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, 10-Nov-2026 [Online]. Available: https://doi.org/10.1184/R1/33806665. [Accessed: 11-Nov-2026].
Alberts, Christopher, Timothy Morrow, Rhonda Brown, and McKinley Sconiers-Hasan. "Analyzing Zero Trust Risk Tradeoffs for Weapon Systems." Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute, 10 Nov. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1184/R1/33806665. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.
Alberts, Christopher; Morrow, Timothy; Brown, Rhonda; & Sconiers-Hasan, McKinley. Analyzing Zero Trust Risk Tradeoffs for Weapon Systems. Software Engineering Institute. 2026. DOI: 10.1184/R1/33806665. https://doi.org/10.1184/R1/33806665