Federal Hierarchy (FBCA)
Understanding the TSCP Federal Trust Model
The TSCP Federal Hierarchy defines how industry public key infrastructures interoperate securely with the U.S. Federal Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). Through the TSCP–FBCA Bridge, organizations gain a governed, auditable path to Federal trust without compromising local control or assurance integrity.
This hierarchy enables secure identity validation, certificate path discovery, and policy-aligned interoperability across Federal agencies and approved non-Federal participants.
How Cross-Certification Works
The TSCP–FBCA Cross-Certification Chain
Cross-certification establishes mutual trust between TSCP participants and the Federal Bridge Certification Authority (FBCA). This process ensures certificates issued under different policies can be validated and trusted across domains.
How the chain works:
Policy exchange and validation
The TSCP Bridge CA and the FBCA exchange and validate certificate policies.
Policy mapping approval
Certificate policy mappings are reviewed and approved by the TSCP Federal Policy Management Authority (Federal PMA) and the Federal PKI Policy Authority.
Mutual cross-certification
A cross-certificate is issued in each direction, formally establishing bidirectional trust.
Relying-party validation
Relying parties validate certificate paths using published Trust Lists and approved policy mappings.
Ongoing lifecycle management
Both sides maintain full lifecycle controls for issuance, renewal, revocation, and audit.
Text-friendly trust path example:
TSCP Member CA → TSCP Bridge CA ↔ FBCA ↔ Federal Agency CA
Validated through Trust Lists and approved policy mappings
Federal Governance Alignment
Governance & Oversight
Cross-certification within the Federal Line operates under strict, multi-layered governance to ensure trust, accountability, and regulatory alignment.
Oversight authorities include:
These authorities jointly oversee cross-certification operations to ensure:
This governance structure ensures Federal trust relationships remain secure, current, and defensible over time.
What is Included in the Federal Line?
Federal Line Components
The Federal Line includes all technical, policy, and governance elements required for secure interoperability with the U.S. Federal PKI.
Core components include:
Together, these components establish a complete, policy-aligned Federal trust hierarchy.
Built for Federal-Grade Trust
The TSCP Federal Hierarchy provides a disciplined, standards-aligned approach to Federal PKI interoperability. It allows industry participants to meet Federal trust expectations while maintaining independent operations and governance.
This structure supports secure Federal collaboration, mission-critical systems, and long-term trust sustainability.