DND/CAF participated in world’s largest live-fire cyber defence event: Exercise LOCKED SHIELDS 24

June 7, 2024 - Defence Stories

Members of the CAF Cyber Forces participated in the virtual Exercise ‘LOCKED SHIELDS’ on April 24, 2024, to advance national collaboration and enhance cyber defence through fictional yet realistic scenarios.

What is Exercise ‘LOCKED SHIELDS’?

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A group of five people is seated at a row of computer monitors, they are viewed from behind, showcasing matching apparel that includes either green T-shirts or dark blue hoodies, clothing provided from the exercise. One individual is kneeling on the floor, leaning forward with an arm draped over the back of a chair, watching over the people in front of him.

Exercise ‘LOCKED SHIELDS’ is the world’s largest live-fire cyber defence event that spans numerous countries. Hosted by the Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE), located in Tallinn, Estonia, this exercise plays an important role in NATO Alliance capabilities in the ever-growing cyber domain.

This year it united 18 teams, divided into countries (CAF Cyber Forces being part of team ‘Canada’), and brought together over 4,000 experts from a diverse range of fields, including: cybersecurity, digital forensics, legal affairs, and strategic communication. These interactive simulations help cyber security experts within the Alliance hone their skills in defending critical infrastructure and collaborate with international allies to develop effective responses.

These exercises aim to identify vulnerabilities, provide lessons learned to advance the Alliance’s capacity to educate and train its personnel on cyber-related initiatives as well as contribute to the readiness of forces and resiliency of systems across the Alliance. The participants were able to leave this exercise with a collective understanding of worldwide potential cyber threats. It also highlighted the ways and means of responding to potential threats, and the roles and responsibilities of all involved if/when these events were to occur.

Why are CAF Cyber Forces participating in Exercise ‘LOCKED SHIELDS?’

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A large group of individuals from Exercise LOCKED SHIELDS, are gathered for a group photo, many of them raising their hands and smiling enthusiastically. The background features multiple digital screens displaying logos, including "Exercise LOCKED SHIELDS" and "CCDCOE”

Cybersecurity is a cornerstone of Canada’s national security priorities. In a rapidly changing global security environment, Canada must leverage all instruments of national power, up to and including the CAF, to deter, defend against, and defeat threats to Canada's national interests in cyberspace.

Canada’s presence added to a “Strategic’ team that met virtually and comprised of twenty-five participants and observers from DND/CAF working alongside Global Affairs Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat, and the Quebec Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital. DND-CAF personnel consisted of reps from Cyber Forces HQ, Assistant Deputy Minister (Policy), Assistant Deputy Minister (Public Affairs), and Directorate of Law - Cyber Operations.

The aim of the ‘Strategic’ team was to present relevant high-level policy scenarios that require strategic understanding of cyber policy issues and to coordinate among national level cyber agencies.

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A man is standing and pointing at a computer screen while assisting a man sitting in a chair and using a laptop. They are in a room filled with other people working at computers. The room appears to be a collaborative work environment or training session, with multiple monitors, laptops, and participants focused on their tasks.

Canada’s exercise objectives were to:

• Partner with other government departments to improve coordination in relation to cyber incident management and/or execution of cyber operations in accordance with several federal incident response plans.
• Take a hands-on approach to the provision of legal advice on courses of action and the application of international law in cyberspace in support of decision making.
• Exercise Strategic Communications (STRATCOM) in relation to cyber incident management; and,
• Identify communication and process gaps.

These exercises will continue next year with LOCKED SHIELDS 25 as the Canadian Armed Forces look to build a strong, secure, and robust cyber security environment across the nation as well as across the globe.

To foster best practices in Canada’s defence strategies, Canadian Armed Forces and the Cyber Forces look forward to participating to more exercises in the future!