On 18 and 19 May 2016, Allied Command Transformation (ACT), supported by the NCI Agency, held a workshop that brought together Allies and Partners to discuss military partnership and security networking in the cyber domain.
"Cyber presents a paradigm shift in the global security dynamic. Cyber threats epitomize asymmetry: they are inexpensive and easily developed, they can undermine conventional military superiority and the security of NATO and Allies alike, leaving the world's most technologically advanced and networked societies vulnerable," said Rear Admiral Pete Gumataotao, ACT Deputy Chief of Staff Strategic Plans and Policy.
Collaboration with partners is essential
During discussions, subject matter experts highlighted that from a technical perspective it is key to recognize that collaboration with partners is essential in addressing perpetually evolving cyber threats and in achieving continuous strategic awareness.
The 30 participants included experts from partner nations such as Japan, Ireland, Georgia, Finland, Sweden and Austria. The discussions covered not only the major future trends in the cyber domain and their related policy and strategy challenges, but also in-depth views from experts in Federated Mission Networking, Cyber Security, as well as contributions from industry and academia. The NCI Agency plays a critical role in cyber defence as the technical authority for NATO's Cyber Incident Response Centre (NCIRC) and through the NATO-Industry Cyber Partnership.
This two-day event is the fourth in a series of workshops preparing for the 2016 Strategic Military Partners Conference (SMPC 2016), which will take place in Bucharest in October. The Commander has invited General Manager Koen Gijsbers to deliver a keynote address on cyber at the conference.