Locked Shields 2026 Concludes as AI Poses New Cyberdefense Challenges

NATO’s Locked Shields is the world’s largest live-fire cyberdefense exercise. Simulated simultaneous attacks on power grids, satellites and military systems test countries’ cross-agency coordination, technical response and decision-making. As generative AI accelerates the automation of cyberattacks, the resilience of critical infrastructure is becoming increasingly vital to national security.

Locked Shields 2026 concluded on April 24 with 41 countries participating. Teams practiced protecting power, communications, satellite and military systems in wartime scenarios while responding to large-scale, multifaceted cyberattacks. This year’s exercise focused particularly on AI’s impact on cyber offense and defense, including faster attacks, rapidly evolving tactics, and defenders’ ability to use AI to detect and address threats.