Systems and methods for management of a RAID system of encrypted storage drives are described. In one embodiment, the system may include self-encrypting drives (SEDs), redundant array of independent disks (RAID) chips, a drive interface bridge connecting between one of the RAID chips and a machine host, and a drive command initiator communicatively coupled to the drive interface bridge. In some embodiments, the drive command initiator may be configured to configure the one or more RAID chips in pass-through mode, unlock at least one of the SEDs while the one or more RAID chips are configured in pass-through mode, and upon unlocking at least one of the SEDs, configure the one or more RAID chips to RAID mode and activate a mass storage functionality of the drive interface bridge.