DES and triple-DES are two well-known and popular encryption algorithms, but they both have the same drawback : their block size is limited to 64 bits. While the cryptographic community is working hard to select and evaluate candidates and finalists for the AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) contest launched by NIST in 1997, it might be of interest to propose a secure and simple double block-length encryption algorithm. More than in terms of key length and block size, our Universal Encryption Standard is a new construction that remains totally compliant with DES and triple-DES specifications as well as with AES requirements.