The Joint Cyberspace Command advocates raising awareness to advance the protection of the digital environment

• The MCCE’s institutional relations adviser takes part in the course ‘Cyber intelligence, disinformation and digital health: challenges for the culture of national security in Spain’

The institutional relations adviser to the Joint Cyberspace Command (MCCE), retired Commander Enrique Pérez de Tena, took part in the academic conference on ‘Cyberintelligence, disinformation and digital health: Challenges for the Culture of National Security in Spain’, held in the auditorium of the Higher Polytechnic School of Ávila and organised by the University of Salamanca with the support of the Ministry of Defence.

Pérez de Tena gave a lecture on the MCCE, its mission and characteristics, in which he explained in detail how the governance system is implemented in the event of a nationwide cyberattack.

In this context, the Command’s representative explained that the MCCE’s ultimate mission is to safeguard the digital environment for the benefit of society as a whole. “In cyberspace, we do not merely defend networks and infrastructure; we defend the rights, freedoms and democratic way of life of all citizens against those who seek to destabilise our institutions,” he said.

The MCCE’s institutional relations adviser emphasised to the students attending the event the need to promote genuine awareness of cybersecurity. In this regard, he stressed that “we can deploy the most advanced technology and the best protocols, but human beings remain the weakest link and, at the same time, a nation’s first line of defence”. For this reason, he called for the cultivation of a critical mindset in the face of disinformation and for the promotion of the responsible use of technology as essential operational tools for blocking the most common attack vectors.

Over the course of two days, the experts taking part in this event analysed the integration of cyber intelligence and cyber security and emphasised the importance of moving towards proactive capabilities for anticipation and early detection, as well as the urgent need to draw on the multidisciplinary talent produced by universities.

In this regard, it has been emphasised that cybersecurity is not merely a technical discipline, but a fundamental pillar directly linked to the preservation of democracy, the welfare state and the rights and freedoms of society as a whole.