This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I will develop a novel, secure and scalable Quality of Service (QoS)-aware routing algorithm for ad hoc wireless networks. The algorithm utilizes several wireless routing optimization techniques and lightweight security mechanisms. This research will also extend the routing algorithm to support multicast in ad hoc wireless networks.<br/><br/>The proposed routing algorithm will permit reduction in the cost of building communication infrastructures by facilitating and increasing the adpatation of ad hoc wireless networks for building reliable communication networks in locations where it is difficult to establish fixed infrastructure or centralized administration. Examples of such locations are conferences, lectures, crowd control theaters, search and rescue theaters, disaster and recovery theaters, and battlefields.