The modern battlefield is defined as much by technology as it is by warfighters, as the interception of communications and controls of drones and other UAVs is a fact of combat in 2025.

Calgary-based defence and cybersecurity firm Ammolite Security is on the cutting edge of secure communications, with a patented system that provides per-packet encryption surrounded by a quantum random-number-generated key and transmission policies.

Ammolite Security CEO Cara Wolf said, in layman’s terms, it means a hacker has to hack every single packet of data in a message instead of just focusing on the entire message itself.

“It makes it extremely difficult to hack every packet of data, so they’ll become so frustrated that they’ll move on. If they take it outside of the policies that have been attached that say who, what, where and when the data can be seen, it turns into digital dust,” Wolf said.

“Usually, we’re relying on network security, where the hacker just has to breach the network, and then they can move laterally within that network. They can eavesdrop, or they can crop files or install malware, or whatever nefarious activity they’re going to do. Ours is completely different in concept and in theory, and now we’re doing the implementation, and we’re testing viability.”

The firm’s patented technology is a first-of-its-kind for cybersecurity, and because of its ability to make it nearly impossible for communications to be surveilled, has made it attractive to the United States Department of Defence and to NATO.

Wolf was invited to speak at the latest NATO IGNITE conference held in Calgary earlier in May, as one of only two Western Canadian defence firms involved in cybersecurity and the only female-owned defence firm.

She said that the conference was a lead-up to the NATO GLOW and NATO SHINE conferences held later in Portugal and Turkey, where the Ammolite Security technology will be presented.

“We’ll be doing various tests of the software underwater, in space, on land, so we can determine the efficacy. We have some work ongoing right now, some [proof of concepts] with the Pentagon. We’ve got some work with the email product that is in play now, in high-risk operations for secure communications, and then also satellite and drone swarm secure communications,” Wolf said.

NATO said, in a news release, that IGNITE was the second stage in the overall programming for the 2025 Innovation Continuum.

“This year’s edition of the Innovation Continuum focuses on multi-domain operations and digital transformation, powered by emerging and disruptive technologies, with an emphasis on cross-domain command, autonomous systems for ISR, and CIS innovations for cyber resilience amongst others”, the release read.

“IGNITE built on the first stage of the Innovation Continuum, SPARK, which focused on strengthening collaboration and accelerate digital innovation through smart sourcing between [NATO Communications and Information Agency], industry, and not-for-profit entities. IGNITE brought over 50 innovation entities across the Alliance, from industry, not-for-profits, NATO Nations and Bodies to finalize the design and scenario development leading up to the capstone event, SHINE.”

Getting recognition for work happening in Calgary

Wolf said that getting in front of NATO was an opportunity to get in front of allied militaries and other potential buyers.

“Cyber security is a global business, and our hope is through the demonstrations, because we’re not just defence, it’s any kind of streaming, streaming data, so any kind of financial transaction, anything with a password, anything that resides in the cloud, commercially, oil and gas, critical infrastructure,” she said.

“This technology is massively scalable in all kinds of industries, so it’s not just the defence sector. It just happens to be one of the most secure forms of communication security that there is on the planet right now. So, our hope is that we’ll be discovered, because in a way, it’s like Dragon’s Den when you go on the NATO stage.”

She said that working with other nations who are developing innovative robotics solutions and providing the security for the transmissions back and forth to those devices, ends up strengthening the NATO alliance as a whole.

Although Ammolite has been able to get in front of purchasers in the U.S., Germany, and Australia, the work they have been doing is far less known in Canada.

“It’s very difficult to get any kind of recognition in Western Canada for defence. Traditionally, the defence companies have been centred in Ottawa, if they’re in Canada, or they’re just not in Canada at all,” Wolf said.

“So, it’s pretty exciting to be recognized, especially when you’re internationally recognized before you’re recognized in your own country and in your own city and in your own province, which is typically the case in Canada. That’s not unusual. You get love from abroad first, then you get it at home.”

Wolf said the number of innovative defence companies in Western Canada, and in Calgary, is actually large.

“You mention Calgary, and they think oil and gas and Calgary Stampede. They don’t think of us as a city that’s developing security technology, and I think that should be known, because I think we need more of a hub and more and more infrastructure built here,” Wolf said.

“It becomes more relevant and more important, especially in the face of geopolitical tensions. We’ve been underfunded as a country in national security forever, and we don’t live in a world where that kind of lack of funding can continue. That’s it’s just not sustainable. We don’t live in the same secure world that we’ve enjoyed for the past 30–40 years.”