NEN_Special Notice_20261016.pdf

NAVAL ENTERPRISE NETWORKS (NEN)

Modernizing the Naval Enterprise Digital Environment

A broad, draft view of the future NEN environment and the role of industry

NEN enables Naval users to securely connect, access information, communicate, collaborate, and perform mission work across a globally distributed enterprise. The next phase of NEN is focused on making that environment more resilient, adaptable, interoperable, and responsive to evolving mission needs.

The NEN mission

Naval Enterprise Networks (NEN) is the Naval enterprise capability portfolio responsible for the digital services that users depend on to operate and communicate. NEN encompasses the network, cloud, identity, computing, data, cybersecurity, enterprise services, and the engineering needed to integrate and continuously improve them. The environment must support users across shore, remote, pierside, afloat, expeditionary, and other distributed conditions while maintaining secure and reliable service. NEN modernization will align with Department of the Navy guidance and coordinate with Marine Corps Enterprise Network (MCEN) architecture and solutions, where appropriate, to advance interoperable, best-of-breed naval capabilities.

A portfolio, not a single system

NEN is evolving as an integrated service ecosystem. A user may experience one seamless service even though delivery depends on multiple capabilities, providers, and technologies. NEN therefore focuses on the end-to-end outcome for the user while allowing each capability to use the delivery and acquisition model that best fits its maturity, commercial availability, operational risk, and need for customization.

What NEN delivers

NETWORK & TRANSPORT

Reliable, secure connectivity across enterprise and edge environments.

IDENTITY & ACCESS

Identity, device trust, access controls, and security enforcement.

DIGITAL WORK ENVIRONMENT

Cloud, applications, collaboration, compute, endpoints, and data.

ENTERPRISE OPERATIONS

Service desk, observability, service management, automation, and recovery.

CYBERSECURITY & RESILIENCE

Continuous protection, monitoring, response, recovery, and risk management.

INTEGRATION & EVOLUTION

Architecture, data exchange, engineering, modernization, transition, and retirement.

The outcomes NEN is pursuing

01 CONNECT

Reliable, secure access

02 TRUST

Authorized access

03 ENABLE

Productive digital work

04 ASSURE

Availability & recovery

05 EVOLVE

Continuous modernization

How NEN is changing

NEN is moving toward an enterprise model that aligns acquisition, engineering, service delivery, cybersecurity, and portfolio decisions around mission outcomes. The approach is intended to preserve continuity while making it easier to introduce new technology, respond to threats, improve services, and change providers or solutions when the evidence supports doing so. The Government seeks to retain and fulfill its ownership responsibilities while determining the appropriate mix of Government and contractor operations across the enterprise. Industry engagement and market research will help inform these decisions, with the goal of strengthening enterprise integration, accelerating secure capability delivery, and minimizing transition risk.

Principles for the future environment

OUTCOME-DRIVEN Measure what users and missions experience: availability, responsiveness, resilience, user experience, cost, and speed of improvement.

SECURE BY DESIGN Treat cybersecurity, authorization, supply-chain risk, and resilience as continuous lifecycle requirements.

MODULAR &

INTEROPERABLE

Use clear interfaces, standards, and portable data so capabilities can integrate, compete, evolve, and transition.

COMMERCIALLY

ENABLED

Leverage proven commercial products, platforms, services, and business practices wherever they meet mission needs. Pursue flexible, rapid acquisition pathways to evaluate and field mission-ready capabilities.

GOVERNMENT-LED Retain Government authority over mission outcomes, architecture, interfaces, security boundaries, data, and the authoritative technical baseline.

What industry can bring

NEN is interested in the full range of commercial and Government-industry capabilities that can strengthen the enterprise.

Relevant approaches may include managed services, commercial technology, cloud and platform services, hardware and infrastructure, cybersecurity, data and analytics, software and digital engineering, logistics and lifecycle support, and specialized integration. Industry can help deliver these outcomes through faster fielding, resilient and interoperable services, and adaptability to changing threats and missions.

• Proven approaches that improve mission outcomes, speed, resilience, and user experience.

• Commercial tools and service models that reduce manual effort and make performance and cost more visible.

• Architectures and delivery approaches that support interoperability, portability, competition, and orderly transition.

• Ways to apply automation, analytics, artificial intelligence, and other emerging capabilities safely and practically.

• Lessons from large-scale commercial and public-sector environments that can help NEN avoid unnecessary complexity.

Engagement with industry

This white paper is provided for industry awareness and does not request a response. Industry will have opportunities to provide feedback through ongoing and future market research activities, including the NEN Supply Chain Management (SCM) Request for Information (RFI) posted on SAM.gov, as well as other industry engagement opportunities.