NATO STO

The last decade has seen a significant increase in the number and variety of cyber M&S research and development efforts. These efforts have resulted in methodologies and technologies for cyber training that are functionally relevant, but largely independent. Collaboration and standardization across these efforts is necessary to meet future cyber training demands, interoperability and re usability of simulators for the defence community. This activity follows on from the work of MSG-117, the MSG-151/IST-156 workshop, MSG-170, and MSG 188 that reported in 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021 respectively. The report published by MSG-117 gave an informed high-level overview of how M&S might be used to support NATO Cyber Defence efforts. A key finding of MSG-117 and the workshop was that standards are an important but currently under exploited enabler for enabling linkages between cyber simulations and coalition force level simulations The report also concluded that there is currently little representation of cyber in campaign and mission level exercises and events, with existing effects being mainly limited to degrading or switching off C2. Whilst this can be a quick and effective way of creating a basic representation of the impact on a mission of a cyberattack, it does not cover the full range of potential impacts. One of the recommendations of the MSG-151/IST-156 workshop, that followed MSG-117, was to form an exploratory team to produce a “Top Ten” list of cyber effects/attacks/countermeasures and countereffects (in short: cyber events) that are most worth modelling. This became MSG-170 that reported on a methodology to select and prioritize cyber events relevant for the training and exercise at hand. The MSG-151/IST-156 Workshop also recommended forming an exploratory team to study the applicability of modifying commercial-off-the-shelf solutions to improve strategic decision support and to investigate gaps in the ability of Computer-Generated Forces (CGF) solutions to model cyber events. MSG-188 investigated how to fill this gap. MSG-188 followed and supported the SISO Product Development Group (PDG) that started in February 2020 to develop a Data Exchange Model (DEM) for M&S of cyber objects, attacks, and events. The proposed Task group activity will broaden this investigation and development.