End-to-End Encrypted IoT System for Military Communications

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

This study presents a hybrid IoT communication system designed specifically for military operations. It seamlessly integrates low-latency ESP-NOW, a peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol, with long-range LoRa backhaul to ensure resilient squad-level coordination and secure command-center connectivity under contested conditions. At its core, the system implements end-to-end AES-128-CTR encryption reinforced by HMAC-SHA256 authentication and GPS-synchronized 15-minute key rotations, providing robust data confidentiality and integrity even in adversarial environments. A polymorphic network topology enables sub- 50 ms intra-mesh latency, self-healing under localized jamming, and adaptive spectrum utilization compared to single-protocol deployments. In addition, real-time geospatial tracking at 5 Hz and a three-layer edge-fog-cloud hierarchy support sub-8 s Observe-Orient-Decide-Act (OODA) loops, enhancing situational awareness and decision-making speed. Field trials in a contested <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2 k m²</tex> urban simulation validate compliance with MIL-STD-810H standards and demonstrate <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">9 8. 7 %</tex> message integrity over five-hop relays. By addressing security gaps, interoperability, and electromagnetic resilience, this work establishes a cohesive, scalable foundation for next-generation military IoT communications.