The exercise simulates real-time cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and national IT systems, testing participants’ ability to respond under pressure. The 2026 edition of this exercise, included a wide range of specialized systems requiring protection, such as 5G infrastructure, satellite management systems, power grids, and electronic voting systems.
The NATO team was led by the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) through its NATO Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and brought together technical and non-technical experts from multiple NATO bodies including the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) and the NATO Airborne Early Warning & Control Force (NAEW&CF).
For the first time, the joint NATO team partnered with Norway and Iceland, with cooperation starting in September 2025. The team combined expertise in cyber threat intelligence and incident response, legal advisory, forensics and malware analysis. Norway and Iceland also contributed strong expertise experience working with industry to defend critical infrastructure and manage crises.
In preparation for the exercise workshops were held across Belgium, Norway and Iceland to kick start the collaboration before the exercise execution, fostering a cohesive environment where all participants played an integral role in the team and have the opportunity to train and learn from each other.
“Locked Shields has evolved from a small-scale technical competition to the largest live-fire cyber exercise in the world. The exercise has transformed into a cooperative model, where different nations gather to exchange their unique experience and work together in the field of cybersecurity,”
explains Slawomir Roginski, Exercise NATO Team Lead from NCIA’s NCSC.
This year marks the 16th consecutive Locked Shields exercise where NCIA is participates, demonstrating its ongoing commitment to cyber defence capability delivery. The training provided the environment to test new tools and technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI).
NCIA continues to develop its cyber skills by cooperating with Allies and training together to defend assets in a high-speed and pressured environment, ensuring NATO’s digital backbone remains secure and uncompromised at all times.