NATO's Locked Shields Exercise Enhances Cyber Resilience

The NATO exercise Locked Shields, which has been held annually since 2010, is currently taking place in Tallinn, Estonia. This year's event marks its 15th anniversary and runs from April 21 to May 9, 2025. The exercise focuses on enhancing the cyber resilience of participating military units by simulating cyber defense operations against various threats.

A spokesperson for the German Armed Forces stated that during these live-fire exercises, participants collaborate across different branches and nations to counter hybrid threats in the cyber and information domains. Specifically, real-time attacks on computer networks and critical infrastructure systems are simulated by a red team based in Tallinn, which must be defended against by 17 blue teams.

One of these blue teams, known as Team 2, comprises approximately 200 participants from the German Cyber and Information Space (CIR) division, with their operations centered in Kalkar, Germany. This year, the team is led by partners from Singapore, who bring valuable experience from the Indo-Pacific region to the exercise. The team also includes numerous members from various government departments, such as the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (BMI) and the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), as well as representatives from the private sector.

The focus areas for the German forces include defending critical infrastructure, such as energy and water supply systems, as well as radar and air defense installations, within a fictitious scenario created by NATO. In addition to technical skills and methods, the training emphasizes collaboration with civilian companies and incident management in the information environment, including social media and legal assessments of actions taken during cyber incidents.

Germany, like other democratic nations, is currently facing increased attention from both state and non-state actors employing hybrid tactics aimed at destabilizing society. The German Armed Forces maintain a professional stance against hybrid threats in the cyber and information realms, positioning themselves as key partners in national security efforts. Regular practice of these scenarios is essential, and since 2010, the Locked Shields exercises have provided a framework that now includes participation from 41 nations.

The Bundeswehr spokesperson further emphasized that Locked Shields allows the CIR division to collaboratively address the growing challenges in the realm of cybersecurity and enhance overall societal resilience. Effective national security in the cyber and information domains necessitates a cross-sectoral, international approach that includes civilian partners.

NATO has noted on LinkedIn that nearly 4,000 IT security experts are involved in the exercise. The alliance describes Locked Shields as unique in its scope and depth of collaboration among nations, academic institutions, international organizations, and industry partners, all contributing specialized systems, advanced capabilities, and cutting-edge technologies from around the globe, representing the best expertise in their respective fields.

In the previous Locked Shields exercise in 2024, key focus areas included preventing phishing attacks and securing container systems.