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Photo by: U.S. European Command Public Affairs
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USEUCOM strengthens cyber defense by forging partnerships at annual NATO exercise
Dec, 02, 2024. US and Bulgarian military cyber experts collaborate during Exercise Cyber Coalition 24. Cyber Coalition is NATO’s flagship annual cyber defence exercise and one of the largest in the
world. The exercise is based on challenging, realistic scenarios that help prepare cyber defenders for real-life cyber challenges – including attacks on critical national infrastructure, as well as disruption of NATO and Allied assets while in operations.
Taking place in Tallinn, Estonia, Cyber Coalition 2024 involves over 1000 cyber defenders from 27 NATO Allies, as well as 6
partner countries (Georgia, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland and Ukraine), the EU, and participants from industry and academia.
(NATO photo by NIC Edouard Bocquet)
Photo by: U.S. European Command Public Affairs
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USEUCOM strengthens cyber defense by forging partnerships at annual NATO exercise
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Emmanuel Rivera (left), 16th Air Force; U.S. Air Force Maj. Chad Speer, 616th Operations Center; Candace Sanchez, 16th Air Force; and U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Kaitlyn Bobbit, 119th Cyber Operations Squadron, discuss approaches to scenarios during Cyber Coalition 2024 in Tallinn, Estonia, Dec. 4, 2024. Sixteenth Air Force participated as the U.S. representative and cyber Air Component Command, alongside more than 1,000 participants from 27 NATO allies, six partner countries - Georgia, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland and Ukraine -, the EU, and members from industry and academia, reinforcing its dedication to collective, global cyber defense and interoperability.
Photo by: U.S. European Command Public Affairs
U.S. European Command enhanced its ability to protect computer networks by once again participating in NATO’s recently concluded annual Cyber Coalition exercise.
Based in Tallin, Estonia, and exercised on a simulated network that spanned the globe, Cyber Coalition 2024 ran from Nov. 30 to Dec. 5. The concept allowed participating teams to safely test possible solutions for a growing list of possible cyber threats.
“We build a self-contained network environment and then introduce situations that the teams have to solve,” explained Candace Sanchez, a senior joint cyber exercise planner with the 16th Air Force, which led the overall U.S. participation in the exercise. “Although the situations are simulated, they are based on real-world incidents that have either happened or are likely to happen. The artificial environment gives the teams a safe space to experiment with solutions that might otherwise be risky on an actual operating network. But from these experiments come solutions that can be applied to operational networks.”
The training audience included nearly 1,000 participants from more than 30 nations. The scope of the exercise demonstrated the depth of cyber cooperation among partners and Allies seeking to foster and maintain harmony.
"The world's current conflicts are demonstrating hybrid warfare is the norm, and information networks lay an outsize role in that operational environment," said U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. James Cleet, USEUCOM deputy director of operations. "Protecting vital networks has become a priority for nations seeking to foster and maintain peace and security. Exercises such as Cyber Coalition 24 are a good way or us to demonstrate and share best practices with our Allies and partners, as we all work to stay ahead of rapidly evolving technology."
USEUCOM’s participation in Cyber Coalition 2024 was coordinated through the command’s Cyber Operations – Integrated Planning Element. The element provides direct support and reachback capability to coordinate between U.S. Cyber Command and USEUCOM
