From 10–12 March, the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) hosted the Cyberspace Operations 2026 Pre-Annual Discipline Conference and a Training Needs Analysis Workshop in Tallinn, Estonia.
As the Department Head for the Cyberspace Operations Discipline, CCDCOE brought together education and training stakeholders from across the NATO enterprise and NATO education and training facilities, both in person and online, to review the current state and future direction of NATO cyberspace operations training.
The pre-ADC meeting focused on reviewing the Cyberspace Operations education and training requirements, assessing developments since the previous meeting, and coordinating actions to address identified training gaps. Participants also reviewed updates to the Training Requirements Analysis mapped to NATO cyber-related posts and discussed ongoing Military Committee taskings, including the establishment of a centralized pool of cyber experts, the development of an instructional force for NATO 2030 cyber training, and the creation of an assessment framework for cyber warfare knowledge and readiness.
Another key discussion point was the planned revision of the Cyberspace Operations Strategic Training Plan to reflect evolving NATO cyber policy, multi-domain operations, and emerging structures such as the NATO Integrated Cyber Defence Centre (NICC).
The Training Needs Analysis Workshop focused on Blue Cyber Key Terrain Analysis for Operational Planning, following the System Approach to Training methodology. Participants refined performance objectives related to identifying mission-critical cyber terrain, illustrating NATO network and service architectures, and integrating cyber terrain analysis into the operations planning process.
These discussions represent an important step in ensuring that NATO’s cyber training ecosystem continues to support operational readiness in an increasingly complex digital battlespace.
Looking ahead, the community will meet again at the Cyberspace Operations Discipline Annual Discipline Conference 2026, hosted by PTEC DRESMARA in Brașov, Romania, in May.