NATO's Premier Cyber Defense Exercise, Cyber Coalition, concludes in Tallinn

The two-week-long exercise involved cyber defence experts from 27 NATO member states, six partner nations (Georgia, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, and Ukraine), the European Union, and the private sector. Scenarios included mitigating cyberattacks on power and healthcare networks, as well as cloud data centres. Additionally, the exercise simulated disruptions to various NATO and allied ICT networks and systems during cyber operations. However, the scenarios and components of Cyber Coalition are not directed at any specific threat or country; instead, they rely on activities involving fictional states.

According to Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, exercises like Cyber Coalition are vital for implementing NATO’s new defence plans. “Cyber Coalition remains NATO’s key cyber exercise aimed at improving our capability to respond to cyber threats in a coordinated way. Such exercises test existing skills and develop capabilities to ensure collective readiness in the cyber domain. There’s no doubt for us that cybersecurity is not just a technical challenge — it is a matter of both national and international security,” Pevkur stated.

Cyber Coalition is a long-standing NATO cyber exercise that began in 2008. Its goal is to prepare NATO’s cyber experts to counter diverse cyberattacks and conduct joint cyber defence operations. Notably, this year’s exercise included Ukrainian cyber defence experts for the first time since Russia’s invasion began in 2022.

The exercise traditionally takes place at Estonia’s cyber innovation hub, CR14, which hosted participants both on-site and through its cyber range environment. CR14 CEO Silver Andre noted that Cyber Coalition achieved its objectives and received highly positive feedback from NATO partners. “Cyber Coalition 2024 once again underscored the critical importance of cyber defence for NATO and its allies’ security. We are proud that Estonia and CR14 could host this significant exercise, providing a platform for international experts to enhance our shared cyber defence capabilities,” Andre remarked.