NATO's Crossed Swords cyber exercise gets underway in Tallinn
On Tuesday, the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) kicked off exercise Crossed Swords 2025 in Tallinn, bringing together 240 participants from around 40 nations, including both NATO and partner nations.
The Crossed Swords 2025 comprehensive cyber defense exercise trains cyber defenders to carry out both defensive and full-spectrum offensive cyber operations within a simulated crisis and conflict environment.
"We have to adapt to the reality of today's cyber threat landscape – where complex, multi-domain operations and hybrid tactics are the norm. It has become clear that in cyberspace, we need to adopt a wartime mentality, including strong offensive cyber capabilities," said Tõnis Saar, director of NATO CCDCOE.
The Crossed Swords exercise is designed to enhance the skills of both operational-level military command elements in managing offensive and defensive cyberspace capabilities and tactical-level cyber specialists. In addition to cyber warfare training, the exercise promotes the development of multi-domain operational competencies and other cyberspace-related tactical skills, such as information operations, legal perspectives and cooperation with Special Operations Forces.
"The exercise provides a unique environment to test not only technical skills but also operational coordination, decision-making, and resilience under realistic conditions," Maj. John William Dall, Crossed Swords 2025 exercise director, said.
"Each edition builds on lessons identified, and this year introduces several key innovations that deepen collaboration and realism, Maj. Dall explained. "As an example, this year, a large emphasis is put into military cooperation with public and private actors throughout the exercise, who jointly take part in the military operational planning phase – reflecting the growing importance of cross-sector cooperation with focus on critical infrastructure protection across the EU and NATO."
This year's exercise features two cyber headquarters, led by the Estonian Cyber Command and the NATO Cyber Operations Center (CyOC) / NATO Cyber Security Center (NCSC), each representing fictional nations within the scenario. This combination of national and NATO-level command structures reflects the real-world complexity of modern cyber defense and decision-making across allied and partner nations.
The realism and effectiveness of the exercise are significantly enhanced through collaboration with academia and industry partners, who help ensure authenticity and relevance.
---
Editor: Michael Cole
