Switzerland, Despite Neutrality, Participates in NATO Cyber Defense Training
The armed forces of neutral Switzerland are participating in joint NATO exercises "Cyber Coalition" focused on defending against cyber attacks, taking place in Estonia.
This was reported by Swissinfo.
The aim of these joint exercises is to practice skills that would help in coordinated problem-solving, addressing vulnerabilities, and forming a common assessment of the situation. Over 1,000 participants from more than 30 countries worldwide will take part in the exercise.
A special virtual training environment was developed for "Cyber Coalition" to minimize the risks of damage to real systems.
The Swiss government has identified the strengthening of cybersecurity as one of the priorities of its security policy. Furthermore, the Federal Council plans to gradually expand the capabilities of the armed forces by 2035. It is expected that the Swiss government will allocate one billion euros for these needs.
Similar training has been conducted by NATO countries since 2008, and this year's "Cyber Coalition" exercises will run until December 1.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022, Russian cybercriminals have intensified their attacks on European state and private structures.
In April, the European Commission adopted a proposal for the "EU Cyber Solidarity Act," aimed at strengthening the EU's potential in cybersecurity. Overall, the EU planned to invest around 1.1 billion euros in enhancing cybersecurity.
"The EU Cyber Solidarity Act will strengthen solidarity at Union level to better detect, prepare for and respond to significant or large-scale cybersecurity incidents, by creating a European Cybersecurity Shield and a comprehensive Cyber Emergency Mechanism," the statement said.
In September 2023, it was reported that the U.S. Cyber Command's National Mission Force, together with Lithuania, conducted a two-month operation to search for and detect "malicious networks" in the Lithuanian Ministry of the Interior.
This operation followed a series of Russian cyberattacks against major Lithuanian companies.