The Joint Cyberspace Command Participates in the 5th STIC Conference in Panama and Chairs the Ibero-American Cyber Defence Forum Held in Parallel

• Vice Admiral Francisco Javier Roca Rivero, Commander of the Joint Cyberspace Command (MCCE in Spanish), takes part in both events

The 5^th STIC Conference and RootedCON Congress has begun in Panama, inaugurated by Panama’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez, and the Spanish Ambassador to Panama, Guzmán Palacios Fernández. This event is jointly organised by the Spanish National Cryptologic Centre, the Joint Cyberspace Command (MCCE), RootedCON, the National Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation of the Republic of Panama, and the National Authority for Government Innovation of Panama, with institutional support from the Organisation of American States (OAS), the CSIRTAmericas Network, and the Inter-American Development Bank.

Representing the MCCE is its Commander, Vice Admiral Javier Roca Rivero, along with personnel from the Office for Institutional Relations. Through conferences, presentations, round tables, and bilateral meetings, both public and private institutions are engaging in dialogue to establish common lines of cooperation. Vice Admiral Roca highlighted the key principles that define the identity of the MCCE:

• People are the most valuable asset. Technology is secondary if an organisation's personnel do not embody outstanding human qualities.
• Leaders must recognise that the paradigm shift has already occurred. We must modernise and adapt our approach to new missions and to the evolving strategic, operational, and tactical realities.
• We must proactively imagine future threats to our interests. Forward thinking is one of our greatest tools to build a framework that ensures effective cyber defence.

In parallel, the 7^th Ibero-American Cyber Defence Forum is also taking place, this year chaired by Brazil, which will hand over the rotating presidency and pro-tempore secretariat to Spain. The forum gathers Ibero-American partners and allies to coordinate and strengthen mechanisms for threat sharing, enabling mutual learning of each other’s tactics, techniques, and procedures.

Public-private cooperation and the strengthening of deep ties with our allies are central to the MCCE’s work in fulfilling its mission. In the fifth domain — cyberspace — adaptability and rapid evolution are defining traits, and together we are stronger in the face of these challenges.