Organised by a team of cyber specialists from the British Army,
Defence Cyber Marvel 2 (DCM2) was the culmination of more than 12
months of training for more than 750 cyber specialists, including
Defence personnel, government agencies, industry partners, and
other nations.
Hosted in Tallinn, Estonia, the exercise saw teams from across
the world respond to common and complex simulated cyber threats
including attacks to networks, industry control systems and
unmanned robotic systems - simulating some of the tactics Russia
used to disrupt Ukrainian cyberspace in the early days of the
invasion one year ago.
Nearly 900 personnel from the British Army, Royal Navy and RAF
took part along with teams from the armed forces of several other
countries.
Ran as a seven-day competition, participants were judged on the
effectiveness and speed of their response and how quickly they
identify and adapt to new threats - vital for developing war
fighters for the digital age.
Defence Secretary said:
The modern battlefield is evolving at an unprecedented pace, it
is therefore vital that our personnel are trained to adapt
quickly in this crucial domain and can recognise cyber threats
with capability and speed.
Many teams were based in their home countries but were virtually
connected to a cyber range controlled in Tallinn, Estonia,
enabling more countries to take part.
Allowing personnel from across the Armed Forces to build their
skills within the cyber and electromagnetic domain, the event
also offered the opportunity to share learning and best practice
across the Armed Forces and with other nations taking part
including Italy, Japan, Kenya and Oman.
Colonel Ian Hargreaves Chair of the Army Cyber
Association said:
The Army Cyber Association was set up by Royal Signals officers,
prior to the formation of 13 Signal Regiment, as a cyber
operations professional development network. It is volunteer run
and entirely inclusive for any Service person who wants to
develop their cyberspace knowledge and skills.
Our focus has always been talent identification, recognition and
development with a big wraparound of innovation. We must innovate
to stay ahead of those that would wish us harm and Defence Cyber
Marvel 2 is the next evolution of our pioneering collective
education.
The exercise has ensured that all those taking part understand
the potential and risks that cyberspace provides and gave them
the opportunity to experiment and develop their cyber skills. It
was designed to stretch the most experienced, battle-hardened,
cyber specialists in UK Defence.
Lieutenant General Tom Copinger-Symes Deputy Commander
Strategic Command said:
Events like Defence Cyber Marvel showcase the talent we already
have in Defence. They get to exercise and learn with folk from a
vast array of different nations, backgrounds and specialisations
- all united by a common purpose – to hone their skills to a fine
edge, in order to protect our people, our prosperity and our
principles.
At UK Strategic Command we’re committed to finding and nurturing
individuals with those skills, especially those who are about to
finish their studies and are eager for a unique challenge on the
front-line of UK’s defence.
Defence is committed to providing its personnel with the skills
needed to respond to non-traditional threats with the
establishment of the Defence Cyber Academy and launch of the
Cyber Aptitude Assessment being designed to identify and foster
talent.
