{"id":471131,"date":"2025-06-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=471131"},"modified":"2025-06-06T21:11:25","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T21:11:25","slug":"guardsmen-montenegro-north-macedonia-strengthen-cyber-capabilities-at-immediate-response-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=471131","title":{"rendered":"Guardsmen, Montenegro, North Macedonia Strengthen Cyber Capabilities at Immediate Response 25"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Service members from the Maine National Guard, Vermont National Guard, Armed Forces of Montenegro, and the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia pose for a group photo before beginning a cyber training exercise during Immediate Response 25 at Golubovci Air Base, Montenegro, June 2, 2025. The cyber exercise was developed and facilitated as a combined effort between the Maine National Guard and the Armed Forces of Montenegro through the State Partnership Program (SPP). The Vermont National Guard and the Army of the Republic of Macedonia, SPP partners since 1993, also participated in the exercise. This collaboration aims to build cyber defense capabilities and strengthen regional military cooperation.
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PODGORICA, Montenegro \u2014 Nearly three years after a sweeping cyberattack disrupted Montenegro\u2019s government networks, the country has taken a powerful step forward in strengthening its digital defenses by hosting its largest and most complex cyber defense exercise called Immediate Response 25.<\/p>\n

The 2022 cyberattack lasted more than 20 days. It disrupted government platforms and exposed vulnerabilities across banking, water and power systems. First responders included cyber units from the Maine National Guard as part of a long-standing partnership through the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program. Many of those same service members returned to Montenegro for Immediate Response 25.<\/p>\n

Instead of responding to an emergency as they did in 2022, they worked side by side with the Vermont National Guard, the Armed Forces of Montenegro and the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia in a joint multinational exercise designed to simulate a full-spectrum cyberattack.<\/p>\n

For 10 days, participants navigated complex challenges modeled on real-world threats, including ransomware deployment and infrastructure disruption. While technical teams defended networks against an advanced persistent threat, a simultaneous tabletop exercise brought together senior leaders from Montenegro\u2019s government, academia and private cyber industry as well as international partners for strategic decision-making and crisis response.<\/p>\n

Lt. Col. Kerry Boese of the Maine Army National Guard assisted in planning the tabletop exercise, helping to bridge the gaps between the military, government, industry and academia.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tabletop exercise focused on a whole-of-government approach to pre-coordinate a response in case something ever happens,\u201d Boese said. \u201cIt reinforces our collaboration with NATO allies and shows that we can work together, meet NATO objectives and build a unified response to cyberattacks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Montenegro\u2019s planning team set out to make the exercise truly multinational in scope. Tijana Turkovic, head of planning, development and cooperation for cybersecurity in Montenegro\u2019s Ministry of Defense, played a key role in designing the tabletop component.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to use our 2022 experience as a foundation,\u201d Turkovic said. \u201cThe goal was to connect technical incidents with strategic-level decision-making and coordinate a national-level response that includes ministries, the private sector and our state partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the first time, cyber operators from North Macedonia embedded directly within combined Montenegrin and U.S. cyber defense teams. Working together in these multinational teams, they undertook threat hunting, log analysis and incident response tasks, gaining valuable hands-on experience in network defense.<\/p>\n

Senior Master Sgt. Zachary Poulin from the Maine Air National Guard, who deployed to Montenegro during the 2022 crisis, served as the exercise controller for the tactical portion. Behind the scenes, Poulin\u2019s team directed the evolving scenario and ensured all training objectives were met.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn this exercise, there are good guys and bad guys. We\u2019re the puppeteers behind the scenes,\u201d Poulin said. \u201cWe design a believable scenario and make sure every team is hitting [its] targets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Poulin noted that the simulated attacks were modeled closely on ransomware techniques used during Montenegro\u2019s actual cyberattack. In addition, it provided Montenegro with an opportunity to demonstrate its capability to lead in the cyber domain.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is giving Montenegro the opportunity to host and manage a live cyber exercise,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd they\u2019ve done an amazing job for their first time, with great collaboration from North Macedonia.\u201d<\/p>\n

The role of the adversary was led by 2nd Lt. Ivan Bajceta of the Montenegrin Armed Forces, who designed and launched threats based on recent global incidents.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, the response from the defenders was chaotic,\u201d Bajceta said. \u201cBut as time went on, they were more ready to respond. It\u2019s been amazing to see their growth and communication improve every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the exercise commenced, the international cyber defense teams quickly began working to accomplish their mission. Each team had its own leader, one from Montenegro and one from North Macedonia. This brought unique challenges and required careful coordination and attention to detail throughout the exercise.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking at an international level with people around the world is an amazing experience,\u201d Bajceta said. \u201cYou get different perspectives and learn how to grow with other teams. But in cyber, there are no shortcuts. One mistake can ruin everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

That global collaboration and attention to detail were central themes throughout the exercise, echoed by leaders at every level.<\/p>\n

Maj. Isak Mrkaic, the exercise director from Montenegro, said the event was an opportunity not only to improve his country\u2019s capabilities but also to elevate cooperation across borders.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the beginning, we had three goals,\u201d Mrkaic said. \u201cFirst, to show that the Montenegrin Armed Forces can conduct an allied cyber exercise. Second, to conduct tactical training and apply our knowledge. And third, to take a whole-of-government approach with stakeholders and national partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

What began as a modest concept quickly expanded. By the time the event launched, it had grown into a 10-day operation involving more than 120 participants from four countries, spanning tactical, operational and strategic levels.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the largest cyber exercise ever conducted by our Armed Forces and Ministry of Defense,\u201d Mrkaic said. \u201cIt\u2019s a big step forward in how we work with partner nations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond its technical success, the exercise also marked a leap forward in integrating artificial intelligence as a tool for training in cyber defense. Junior analysts used large language models to process alerts from tools such as Security Onion and Splunk, interpret malicious code and receive real-time guidance on attacker behavior. The artificial intelligence acted as a digital advisor, accelerating analysis and enabling even the least experienced team members to make informed decisions quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cyber domain is here, and systems are under perpetual attack,\u201d Poulin said. \u201cExercises like this, tied to major units and partner nations, are a perfect stepping stone. The 2022 attack was devastating, but it showed us the complexity of Montenegro\u2019s system and how we can connect and support one another.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a world where cyberattacks increasingly blur the line between civilian and military targets, the events in Montenegro underscore a new reality. National security is no longer confined to physical borders or conventional threats. On today\u2019s battlefields, where attacks in the cyber domain can result in kinetic effects, connectivity is both a strength and a vulnerability. Countering this vulnerability may lie in the ability to act quickly, collaborate across nations and trust both partners and technology.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.nationalguard.mil<\/a><\/p>\n

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https:\/\/www.nationalguard.mil\/Leadership\/Joint-Staff\/J-5\/International-Affairs-Division\/State-Partnership-Program\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Service members from the Maine National Guard, Vermont National Guard, Armed Forces of Montenegro, and the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia pose for a group photo before beginning a cyber training exercise during Immediate Response 25 at Golubovci Air Base, Montenegro, June 2, 2025. The cyber exercise was developed and facilitated as a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":470155,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-471131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=471131"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":471133,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471131\/revisions\/471133"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/470155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=471131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=471131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=471131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}