Defence Strategic Cyber Awareness Course

The seminar provides a strategic-level understanding of the cyber domain, emphasising its significance to leadership, operational effectiveness, and organisational resilience. It explores the risks, opportunities, and implications of cyber activity across Defence, enabling delegates to better understand how cyber influences the modern operating environment and wider Defence objectives.

Through a combination of expert briefings, discussion, and case studies, you will develop the knowledge required to incorporate cyber considerations into strategic decision-making, strengthen organisational resilience, and operate effectively in an increasingly complex and cyber-enabled environment. The course also examines the strategic impact of cyber within the broader context of information warfare and integrated campaigning, helping leaders understand how cyber capabilities can affect influence, security, and operational outcomes.

What you will learn

You will gain an awareness of:
•    Cyber Fundamentals, including key concepts, terminology, and the strategic relevance of cyber within the Defence environment.
•    Cyber Threats, including current threat actors, their behaviours, and the evolving risks they pose to Defence.
•    Core cyber operational concepts and Defence response strategies used to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from cyber incidents.
•    Lessons identified from real-world cyber incidents, and their implications for strategic leadership, decision-making, and organisational resilience.

How this course will help your career

The seminar provides exposure to expert speakers and diverse perspectives, enabling you to develop a broader understanding of cyber at the strategic level.

Interactive discussions will allow you to contextualise learning to your own roles and organisations, while networking opportunities enhance understanding of how others are addressing this evolving and complex threat.

Who can attend this course

• Military
• MOD civil servants
• Partners across government (PAG)

OF4 and above within MOD – this includes senior civil servants and political advisors. Industry executives, five eyes partners and personnel of appropriate rank/grade are welcome to attend.

Before you attend

There are no formal pre-joining materials, however you may wish to watch the BBC4 Storyville programme focusing on the Stuxnet Virus, called 'Zero Days: Nuclear Cyber Sabotage'. The film can be located through various online providers and explores one of the most documented and investigated major cyber-attack to date, from several perspectives.

You are also directed to the following defence publications and general reading, which will provide a wider appreciation of the cyber landscape:
Available on gov.uk:
•    The Cyber Primer
•    Joint Doctrine Note 01/18 – UK Cyber and Electromagnetic Activities
•    JCN 01/17: UK Future Force Concept

Rid, T. (2013). Cyber War Will Not Take Place. 1st ed. London: Hurst. Kaplan, F. (2016). Dark Territory - The Secret History of Cyberwar. 1st ed. New York: Simon & Schuster.

How the course will be taught

• Face-to-face