The explosion in use of IoT devices in commercial markets, assisted in no small part by the advent of 5G, is finding its way into the defense sector with the rapidly increasing use of sensors to create situational awareness for US forces. However, an enduring problem for all electronic communications is this: how do I authenticate the identity of the person or device with which I am communicating?   As my guest, Michael Lewellen, explains in this episode, when electronic communications via the Internet was developed, almost no thought was given to the serious problem of user and device authentication. Several authentication techniques have developed over time but most of them have serious limitations. This matters to everyone, but particularly for the military, because if an adversary is able spoof a sensor field or masquerade as a command authority, it can wreak havoc without needing to fire a single round of munitions. In this episode we discuss both this problem and a solution known as self sovereign identity. Email: [email protected] and [email protected]  The Texas Blockchain Council: https://texasblockchaincouncil.org Original music by Josh Goode Music: [email protected]