SUFFOLK, Va. –
U.S. Cyber Command launched Cyber Flag 25-2 at the Joint Warfighting Center in Suffolk, Virginia on July 7.
As the largest, recurring, multi-national cyber exercise, Cyber Flag brings together over 20 partner nations for the month-long event, focused on enhancing defensive cyber operations.
“Our network of allies and partners is our key strategic advantage,” said Rear Adm. Dennis Velez, acting deputy commander, USCYBERCOM. “Our partners recognize the vital importance of strengthening our collective defense and mutual support capabilities – a relationship that requires active participation at events like this.
Cyber Flag is USCYBERCOM’s biannual multinational cyber field training exercise. It is designed to strengthen partnerships and improve the ability of participating nations to detect, respond to, and defend against malicious cyber activity.
“Exercise like this are essential to our mission,” said Brett Dearman, branch chief – tactical exercises, USCYBERCOM. “They not only test our capabilities but also deepen the trust and cooperation among our warfighters, who are the front-line defense for critical cyberspace infrastructure around the world.”
During the exercise, teams work in a simulated environment that mirrors real-world cyber threats, including supply chain compromises, ransomware, and zero-day attacks. They focus on detecting, isolating, and removing adversary presence on networks. In addition, Cyber Protection Teams from USCYBERCOM play the opposing force, testing each team’s defensive skills.
The exercise takes place on the Persistent Cyber Training Environment, a secure virtual platform that allows teams to run realistic scenarios without risk to actual networks. The PCTE platform also enables remote participation from partner nations.
This year’s exercise builds on previous efforts to expand multi-national cooperation beyond traditional Five Eyes partners (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand), bringing together cyber operators from across the globe. By sharing lessons learned and best practices, participants aim to improve collective cyber defense capabilities.
Cyber Flag 25-2 supports U.S. national objectives to strengthen the international community of defensive cyber operations and to build resilience against shared cyber threats.