Defence personnel to be upskilled in tackling cyber threats

The Ministry of Defence will collaborate with Immersive Labs to support the MoD's new Digital Skills for Defence programme, which aims to build stronger digital skills in defence leaders, digital professionals, and the whole military and civilian workforce. 

The collaboration will see personnel from the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Strategic Command and Civil Service engaged, with access to 1,800 realistic simulations and hands-on cybersecurity labs to evaluate individual and teams in decision-making against the latest threats. 

The recent National Audit Office (NAO) report on the MOD’s Digital Strategy noted that the Department is showing good practice when it comes to the challenge of modern conflict rapidly digitising, affecting Defence work and how the Armed Forces operate in the battlefield. 

Building on the feedback from the NAO report, the department is striving to build a workforce with the digital skills it needs to deliver the digital transformation of defence. The report acknowledged positive progress being made by the department on bringing together and aligning such digital practitioners across Defence. However, with a shortfall of homegrown talent and a very competitive market across the public and private sectors, the collaboration with Immersive Labs will also help identify cybersecurity talent to fill open roles and bolster the ranks of UK cyber experts. 

Minister for Defence Procurement, Alex Chalk said: "The NAO has rightly highlighted our focus on remaining at the forefront of digital capability, which is crucial as the shape of the modern battlefield continues to change at unprecedented speed. "Utilising the best technology and brightest minds in industry will only serve to bolster the rank of cyber experts focused on protecting the UK."