Swiss Armed Forces practice hybrid warfare
Switzerland is currently participating in an international cyber exercise in Estonia. The Swiss Armed Forces' cyber specialists are practicing targeted cyber attack scenarios in a hybrid war with various teams from 33 nations.
Around two dozen members of the Swiss Armed Forces Cyber Battalion took part in an international cyber exercise in Tallinn, Estonia. According to a report from the Swiss Confederation, together with 33 nations from around the world, various scenarios were played out as they could take place in a hybrid war.
Part of the exercise was to protect central information technology infrastructures of one of these nations from attacks by the other nation. This involves protecting IT infrastructures of the water and energy supply, the financial industry and national defense.
Fictitious scenario with more than 8000 attacks
During the exercise, the fictitious nations were confronted with more than 8,000 attacks, which they had to defend against or remedy. The focus was also on not only finding vulnerabilities in their own networks, but also actively exchanging information with partners about the attack gates. The "Locked Shields" exercise involved 42 participants from the army's cyber training course and militia members.
The large-scale cyber exercise also involved the strategic component, in which legal and public governance issues had to be clarified. According to a statement by the Federal Council, the Swiss Armed Forces are currently creating great added value for the cyber specialists from the militia as well as for the professional component.
Source: Confederation
