The Role of Military Cyber Exercises: A Case Study of Locked Shields

What are the opportunities and limits of conducting military cyber exercises? To answer this question, I present a case study analysis of Locked Shields, the largest international cyber defense exercise in the world. Relying on non-public After Action Reports, interviews, and publicly available material, this study highlights three main challenges: the teaching of more advanced technical skills in a virtual environment; the planning of long-term campaigns below the threshold of armed attack rather than sudden cyber attacks during a two-day event; and the promotion of NATO’s principles of collective defense as part of a competitive exercise. I also discuss three benefits: the ability to practice communication procedures, particularly across teams; the possibility for experimentation at the managerial level, such as assessments of team size; and the potential strategic signaling function of an exercise in a space that lacks many other opportunities for that.