Presentation of the Slovenian-Croatian Federation of Cyber Training Facilities

The Cyber Range Connect project, led by the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia’s Cyber Centre and the Cyberspace Command of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia marks an important milestone in both countries’ cyber security. The idea for the project was conceived in late 2023, when Slovenia and Croatia recognised the need for an innovative approach to improving cyber capabilities. In February this year, the two countries formally confirmed the launch of the project and their intention to conduct the two-day exercise of the same name. This exercise has now been successfully completed, thus confirming the technical operation of the Cyber Training Range Federation.

A cyber training site is a technically complex, advanced and expensive infrastructure. Both Slovenia and Croatia have a cyber training facility from the same manufacturer. While the capacity of the cyber training centre is sufficient for national needs in normal use, it is insufficient for complex and international exercises, the capacity of the individual training centre is insufficient and the upgrade and upgrading it would be extremely expensive. By linking the two training ranges, however, this shortcoming can be overcome, enabling the limitations of national cyber capacity to be exceeded without additional investment.

The Cyber Range Connect 25 exercise was based on a fictional scenario in which a blue, nationally mixed team, operating simultaneously in both countries, defended an energy hub network in a fictional region. The opposing red team carried out cyber-attacks using tactics, techniques and procedures typical of known cyber actors. The exercise aimed to test the interoperability and effectiveness of a federation of cyber training sites, while strengthening the capacity to defend critical infrastructure. In the exercise scenario, the two training sites were successfully connected virtually, providing users with the same experience as if they were using a single training site.

Through this project, Slovenia and Croatia have become among the first EU and NATO countries to implement a federation of cyber training sites. This achievement confirms the technical and operational maturity of both countries, as well as their innovation in the field of cyber security. Globally, Cyber Training Federations are still in development. The Slovenian-Croatian project is notable because it has demonstrated the practical feasibility of a federation within a bilateral framework, paving the way for broader regional cooperation and the potential inclusion of additional countries.

The Ministry of Defence Cyber Centre intends to continue developing and extending a federation of cyber training sites in the region. This will enable major international cyber exercises to be organised on multiple connected platforms. This will strengthen regional cyber security and contribute to the resilience of critical infrastructure.