Cybersecurity Building resilience
“Resilience [has been] critical for Nato since its inception,” stresses Antonio Calderon, chief technology officer at the NCI Agency, adding that the very principal of resilience is rooted in Article 3 of the North Atlantic Treaty, Nato’s founding document, “which refers to the capacity to prepare for, resist and respond to eventual disruptions to ensure the continuity of the Alliance’s activities”. Nato’s resilience agenda extends beyond defence considerations, encompassing civil preparedness, technological innovation and societal cohesion, Calderon explains. “In this sense, we are witnessing an even stronger commitment from all allies to enhance resilience, individually and collectively, to address vulnerabilities in both military and civilian spheres,” he adds. “This has been a central topic in recent Nato summits, reflecting on the alliance’s commitment to adapt to evolving threats.” The NCI Agency’s work helping Nato build resilience extends across several different fronts. The organisation’s cyber experts operate around the clock to monitor and defend the alliance’s networks, identifying and preventing vulnerabilities while helping to respond, recover and learn from cyber incidents, notes Calderon, adding, “We are evolving our cybersecurity posture into augmenting our cyber resilience.”
As chief technology officer, Calderon and his office support Nato by providing the required technology and interoperable federated architectures to understanding, collecting and analysing data, so it can be shared securely across different systems. This helps decision makers understand the bigger picture, enabling them to make informed decisions faster to help address emerging challenges.
Of course, new emerging threats are more complex and diverse than ever, knowing no borders, which complicates matters. To address these issues, nations cannot work in isolation, and therefore information- sharing and collaboration are essential for building resilience across Nato. Resilience can be an incredibly complex issue given its reliance on a wide variety of actors and stakeholders. Sharing key data between allies can help drive understanding on the issues and the potential solutions at play. “In this sense, we act as a collaboration enabler, enhancing synergies and cross-collaboration between the military and the civilian world,” explains Calderon, citing the data-driven resilience dashboard developed by the NCI Agency’s Exploiting Data Science and AI team as a practical example, built in conjunction with Nato Allied Command Transformation. The dashboard brings together disparate civil and military data to support resilience- related activities under specified scenarios. It provides an overview of some of Nato’s resilience baselines, such as energy, health and transportation,
which would aid in planning and provide critical situational awareness during a crisis. Pulling data from a wide variety of open sources, including national governments, companies, industry regulators and media, the resilience dashboard uses AI and advanced data analytics to consolidate this information and provide insights, in-line with the Nato AI Strategy and its Principles of Responsible Use.
The threat of new technologies While emerging and disruptive technologies spur on much of the focus on resilience in Nato, they also present beneficial opportunities across all aspects of human life, including in defence, where they have the potential to make armed forces more efficient, cost- effective and sustainable. However, they can still represent new threats from both state and non-state actors, and the risk of misuse of these technologies can result in devastating consequences for civilian society and military forces alike. Calderon’s office is tasked with the mission of ensuring secure adoption of new technologies, balancing their risks with their opportunities. “We have already witnessed the misuse of AI using deep fake technology to undermine trust in our institutions and influence public opinion,” he notes. “From fabricated videos of political figures spreading false narratives and damaging reputations, to the use of automated bots powered by AI to spread disinformation across social media. “We have – thankfully – not yet seen AI being applied to lower the barrier to, for example, develop biological weapons. But, when in the wrong hands, [the] technology might pose a significant risk.” At the same time, Calderon is quick to highlight the benefits that these technologies can provide. For example, to combat disinformation and misinformation, the NCI Agency is working in close collaboration with the private sector to provide Nato with an information environment assessment capability that will support its ability to understand
Defence & Security Systems International /
www.defence-and-security.com
The NCI Agency’s headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands.
45% Ericsson 27
The forecast global 5G population coverage by the end of 2023.
Werner Lerooy/
Shutterstock.com
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