The new NATO military Cyber Operations Centre (CYOC) in Mons should be fully operative in 2023. The structure was created on Aug. 31 and once ready, it will strong of 70 elements. They will be the Alliance’s cyber deterrent

The new NATO military Cyber Operations Centre (CYOC) in Mons should be fully operative in 2023. The structure, created on Aug. 31 in Belgium, will be responsible of the cyber defense and cyber attacks against terrorism, state –sponsored hackers and rogue nations. Once ready, It will coordinate the Alliance’s cyber deterrent through a 70-strong team of experts, fed with military intelligence and real-time information about hackers. Ranging from Islamist militants to organised crime groups operating on behalf of hostile governments. “This is an emerging domain and the threat is growing,” said Major General Wolfgang Renner, the German air force commander who oversees the new cyber operations centre, speaking to Reuters during the NIAS 2018 cyber conference of the Alliance. “We have to be prepared, to be able to execute operations in cyberspace. We have already gone beyond protection and prevention.”

An agreement on NATO’s Article 5 related to the cyber domain, would increase the CYOC offensive capabilities. This, integrating the individual nations’ cyber capabilities into its operations

NATO has formally recognised cyberspace as a new frontier in defence, along with land, air and sea (the fourth domain), meaning battles could be waged on computer networks. In this contest, the CYOC could use cyber weapons to knock out enemy missiles or air defences, destroy enemies’ networks, dismantle terrorism propaganda or financing fluxes, etc…This in deterrence operations. But to launch offensive cyber attacks, the Alliance members will have to find an agreement on the priritary issue: The Article 5 clause related to the collective defence. If reached, the Alliance could integrate the individual nations’ cyber capabilities into its operations, coordinated, through the Mons Cyber Command under the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). Moreover, similar agreements already exists for NATO’s air defences and its ballistic missile shield.

The NIAS 2018 conference, focused on the Centre