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The Joint Cyberspace Command has participated in the cyber defence exercise 'Crossed Swords' 23.
Tallin, Estonia
December 20, 2023
- It is organised by the NATO Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (NATO CCDCOE).
The Joint Cyberspace Command has participated in Exercise Crossed Swords 23, the annual exercise that tests multinational teams in the execution of offensive operations in cyberspace. It is organised by the NATO Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (NATO CCDCOE). Its main objective is to provide a sophisticated technical environment for the training of the offensive capabilities of the Centre's member nations, of which Spain is one of the founders.
For the first time, and under the leadership of Spain as the framework nation, this exercise has tested the integration of offensive operations in cyberspace into a military operation at the tactical level, under the command of a multinational command post.
While the technical capability to conduct offensive operations in cyberspace has existed for some time, command and control of these capabilities in military operations is a challenge that few nations have successfully addressed. In any case, it has never been attempted in a multinational environment outside of a classified environment.
During the 'Crossed Swords 23' exercise, a multinational command post was established in Tallinn, led by Spain and made up of components from various nations, such as Poland, Lithuania, the United States and Ukraine, among others. It has successfully tested command and control procedures for the integration and synchronisation of offensive operations of a technical nature, both at the tactical and operational levels, enabling support from cyberspace to forces in combat.
The Offensive Unit, also multinational and led by a Spanish officer, executed offensive operations on adversary computer systems, achieving the synchronisation of actions in cyberspace with a precision of seconds, and their coordination with military operations at all levels.
This exercise has demonstrated that the execution of offensive operations in cyberspace under multinational command is feasible, and has opened the door to cooperation in the development of methods and procedures for the integration of this capability into the military operational environment at the operational and tactical level.
Spain has once again demonstrated its high degree of readiness and effectiveness in the field of cyber defence.
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