📋 Tender Overview
The Locked Shields 2026 cyber defense and strategic decision-making exercise was organized by the NATO Center of Excellence for Cyber Defense. Slovenia also participated in the exercise for the sixth time this year.More than 4,000 experts from more than 40 countries participated in this years Locked Shields 2026 exercise. This year, Slovenia cooperated with Italy for the fourth time and with Malta for the first time.
Competitors, who were organized into different groups, faced approximately 8,000 cyber incidents that simulated the complexities of real-world cyber defense, including strategic decision-making, legal aspects, crisis communications, strategic planning, and this year, cloud services and elections, all aimed at strengthening cyber defense capabilities.
This year, 16 teams competed in the exercise. The large participation of various countries and partners proves the importance of the Locked Shields 2026 exercise and testifies to its role in strengthening international cooperation in the field of cyber defense. As a platform, Locked Shields enables countries to share best practices, innovative strategies and jointly improve cyber incident response capabilities.
The head of the Locked Shields exercise in Slovenia, Director General of the Directorate for Defense Affairs at the Ministry of Defense, Mateja Rokvic, said that the contribution of the exercise at the national level is great and added: By conducting the Locked Shields exercise, integration and cooperation between the public and private sectors in the field of cyber security and defense is encouraged, and at the same time serves as an excellent platform for further strengthening cooperation, which is key to ensuring national security in the field of cyber and information security.
The exercise was also watched by the Minister of Defense, M.Sc. Borut Sajovic and Chief of the General Staff of the Slovenian Army, Major General Bostjan Mocnik.
With the goal of establishing closer cooperation between the public and private sectors in the field of cyber security and defense, representatives of companies and universities participated in the exercise in Slovenia, in addition to trainees from state authorities.
The Locked Shields 2026 cyber defense and strategic decision-making exercise was organized by the NATO Cyber Defense Center of Excellence | Author: Bruno Toic
