Latvian cyber security experts participate in NATO exercise “Cyber Coalition”

Exercise Director Commander Charles Elliott briefs participants during "Cyber Coalition"  2022 in Tallinn.
Photo: NATO Allied Command 

From 27 November to 1 December, cyber defence experts from the Information Technology Security Incident Response Institution of the Republic of Latvia, together with colleagues from military and civilian organizations, took part in the NATO exercise "Cyber Coalition". The annual "Cyber Coalition" exercise, NATO's flagship cyber defense exercise and one of the largest in the world, continuously improves coordination and cooperation between nations and national cyber defense capabilities.

The 2023 iteration specifically aimed to enhance the resilience of NATO, its Allies and partners against cyber threats and their ability to conduct cyber operations together. The exercise was based on challenging, realistic scenarios that help prepare cyber defenders for real-world cyber challenges - including attacks on critical national infrastructure and disruption of NATO and Allied assets during operations. "Cyber Coalition" 2023 involved 1,000 cyber defenders from 28 NATO Allies and 7 Partner nations, as well as representatives from the European Union. It was conducted at Cyber Range 14 in Tallinn, Estonia. 

The exercise is planned and conducted by NATO's Allied Command Transformation, under the direction of the Military Committee, and brings together a cyber coalition of NATO entities, Allies and Partners to strengthen the Alliance's ability to deter, defeat and respond to threats in and through cyberspace in support of NATO's core missions by exercising cooperation and cyberspace operations and contributing to NATO's transformation.

Cyber defense is a core task of NATO's collective defense. NATO Allies are committed to continuing their efforts to improve their cyber defense capabilities and their cooperation with industry and other key stakeholders.