– The participation in Locked Shields contributes to preparing and developing the cooperation of cyber defense with national authorities, organizations and companies as well as NATO and its member countries, says Thomas Höglund, head of the Defense Staff’s cyber department.
The Swedish participation was primarily from the Armed Forces and organizations selected by the National Cyber Security Center (Swish, Finansiell ID-teknik, Nasdaq and Bankgirot). In addition, people who work with cyber security in the civil sector, both authorities and private companies, participated. Icelandic participation consisted of, among other things, participation from CERT-IS, the police, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Icelandic financial sector.
The Swedish-Icelandic participation was carried out from the Command Regiment, which has actively created optimal conditions throughout the exercise period. Sweden has also had personnel in CCDCoE’s exercise management in Tallinn who arranged and coordinated the exercise.
About the exercise
During the exercise, the participants in a simulated environment have to individually and together protect the infrastructure of a fictitious country. They face a range of challenges that mimic the complexities of real cyber defence, including critical thinking, strategic decision-making, legal considerations, crisis communication and strategic planning – all with the aim of strengthening the trainees’ cyber defense capabilities.
The exercise’s strength lies in its holistic approach, which combines technical skills with strategy, legal and communications expertise to develop a multifaceted cyber defense strategy. Participants are encouraged to leverage their collective skills and foster an environment where collaboration is key to overcoming complex cyber challenges. Locked Shields as a platform thereby enables countries to exchange methods, innovate strategies and together improve their capacity to deal with cyber incidents.
– It is always interesting to visit such a large and comprehensive cyber security exercise, especially where civilian experts collaborate with military personnel. We are impressed to see how a temporarily assembled team can perform at this level, says Thomas Höglund.
