The Swedish Armed Forces' team is world champions in cyber security

The Swedish - Icelandic team won Locked Shields, the largest cyber security exercise in the world. The Swedish Armed Forces headed the Swedish participants during the exercise at the Joint Signal Regiment in the Swedish town of Enköping. Other participants came from the finance sector and the electronic communication sectors in Sweden and Iceland.

Icelandic participant and Swedish participant next to the Locked Shields sign
Icelandic participant and Swedish participant next to the Locked Shields sign
We won! Team leaders of the victorious Swedish-Icelandic team: Brynja Huld Óskarsdóttir and Patrik Fältström. Photo: Ola Berglind
Some of the participants on site in Enköping.
Locked Shields is the world's largest cyber security competition. The exercise is technical and strategic. Photo: Ola Berglind

This year, Sweden teamed up with Iceland as it was the first time that Iceland entered the competition. The aim of Locked Shields 2023, from a Swedish perspective, was to exercise participants from the finance sector, and the sector for electronic communication, to individually and together manage a major, realistic cyber security incident. The Icelandic participants represented the same sectors as well. The features of the exercise were designed in a very realistic way.

The Swedish Armed Forces was in charge of all practicalities to do with the exercise that was conducted at the Joint Signal Regiment in Enköping. Also, the Swedish Armed Forces participated in the exercise command on site in Tallinn, Estonia.

Major General Johan Pekkari, chief of cyber defence, visitid the exercise on 20 April.

“It was interesting to visit this major cyber security exercise and see it live. The participants were focused and committed. It is impressive to see how a temporarily composed team can perform on this level”, he says.

To the Swedish Armed Forces it is important that the total defence actors are exercised in realistic cyber security exercises. That is why different sectors are invited every year to Locked Shields.

"This type of cyber security exercise is a valuable tool to enhance and broaden our capability", says Major General Johan Pekkari.

The Swedish Armed Forces wishes to thank everyone that participated in the Swedish-Icelandic team, and to congratulate them to an incredible performance.
"This is really exciting! I’d like to congratulate all of the participants", says Johan Pekkari.

Locked Shields is the world's largest cyber security exercise, and this year saw more than 3 000 participants from all over the world. The exercise is organised annually by the Nato Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) in Tallinn. The international exercise is technical and strategic. The exercise is made up by complex and realistic operational features.