📋 Tender Overview
Luxembourg participated in the 2026 edition of the international cyber defense exercise Locked Shields, organized by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE) in Tallinn, Estonia. Locked Shields is recognized as one of the largest and most complex live-fire cyber defense exercises in the world. Every year, it brings together thousands of cybersecurity experts from allied and partner countries. During recent editions, more than 3,000 participants from more than 30 countries were mobilized to defend a fictitious country against large-scale cyberattacks targeting its IT infrastructures, while having to manage technical, legal, strategic and communication challenges in real time. For the 2026 edition, Luxembourg is contributing to a multinational team alongside partners from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This team is responsible for defending complex IT systems and digital services, including in energy, communications and other critical sectors, from sophisticated cyber threats. The multinational team to which Luxembourg contributed achieved a final ranking of 2nd place out of 16 participating teams during the 2026 edition of Locked Shields in Germany. Luxembourgs participation is coordinated by the Luxembourg Army, in close cooperation with national cybersecurity stakeholders. The national delegation is made up of representatives of public institutions, private sector partners and research organizations, reflecting a global and interministerial approach to cyber defense. The exercise is fully in line with the objectives defined by the government in terms of cybersecurity and cyberdefense. The Luxembourg Cyber Defense Strategy, developed by the Defense Directorate and the Luxembourg Army, constitutes the reference framework for the development of cyber defense capabilities and the strengthening of the resilience of the national cyberspace. It is based in particular on investments in human resources, technology, as well as in research and development, and places emphasis on the protection of defense assets and on cooperation with partners, particularly within NATO and the European Union. Furthermore, the National Cybersecurity Strategy identifies, among its main priorities, the strengthening of the security and resilience of digital infrastructures in Luxembourg, as well as the development of a secure and reliable digital environment.
