In collaboration with the British Army, CybExer supported Army Cyber Spartan 2024, a large-scale, five-day cybersecurity exercise designed to enhance the cyber defense capabilities of military personnel.
25-29 November 2024, Defence Battle Lab at Dorset Innovation Park in the UK became the center of intensive cyber defense training, where participants engaged in realistic, hands-on attack simulations. The exercise provided a structured environment for teams to strengthen their detection, response, and mitigation skills in the face of evolving cyber threats.
This year’s event brought together over 350 participants, alongside cyber range engineers, Red Team operators, user simulation experts, and exercise controllers, all working together to create a dynamic training experience.
Inside Army Cyber Spartan 2024: A Hands-On, Practical Cyber Exercise
The main objective of Army Cyber Spartan 2024 was to test and improve the effectiveness of Security Operations Centers (SOCs), which play a critical role in monitoring and defending against cyber threats. The exercise focused on providing participants with practical experience in identifying, analyzing, and responding to cyber incidents in real time.
The scale and complexity of the exercise allowed teams to:
- Work in a live-fire cyber environment, responding to simulated attacks as they would in real-world scenarios.
- Develop technical skills in threat hunting, detection, analysis and mitigation.
- Improve operational coordination within and between teams.
- Gain insights into cyber tactics used by adversaries to strengthen national cyber defense strategies.
- Practice skills and abilities for generating, analysing, and responding to Cyber Threat Intelligence.
A total of 33 teams participated in the event, each working through a series of sophisticated attack scenarios. In addition, 100+ personnel were involved in supporting roles, ensuring smooth execution across all phases of the exercise.
This year’s edition also saw increased international collaboration, with seven allied nations, police organisations, and representatives from the health sector joining the event. The growing participation from different sectors underscores the broader importance of cyber resilience beyond the military.
Measuring Success: How Army Cyber Spartan 2024 Enhanced Cyber Defense
One of the key aspects of Army Cyber Spartan 2024 was ensuring that teams not only completed the exercise but gained measurable improvements in their cyber defense capabilities. To achieve this, organisers used a standardized performance framework based on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF).
Rather than focusing solely on ranking teams, the assessment emphasized skill development and operational maturity, with success measured through:
- Live-response effectiveness: How well teams reacted to simulated cyber attacks.
- Threat detection and monitoring: The ability to identify attack patterns and vulnerabilities.
- Incident analysis and reporting: Strengthening structured decision-making and intelligence sharing.
- Team coordination and interoperability: Improving collaboration within teams and across organisations.
Beyond technical performance, Army Cyber Spartan 2024 also focused on building teamwork, refining procedures, and fostering professional relationships which all are crucial elements in preparing for real-world cyber threats.
CybExer’s Role: Powering the Exercise with Advanced Cyber Range Technology
CybExer played a central role in delivering Army Cyber Spartan 2024, providing the cyber range technology and infrastructure that made the exercise possible. Our platform ensured a scalable, realistic training environment, supporting hundreds of participants simultaneously.
“ACS demonstrates the Army’s ability to deliver defensive cyber training and assessment at scale. The exercise structure is mapped to recognized industry frameworks, ensuring participants gain valuable experience that translates to real-world cyber defense.” – Mansel Thewlis, ACS 2024 Lead Organiser.
CybExer’s expertise in conducting large-scale cyber exercises enabled Army Cyber Spartan 2024 to run seamlessly, delivering a high-impact training experience for all participants.
Why Army Cyber Spartan Matters
Cyber threats continue to evolve, making continuous training and readiness essential for national defense. Army Cyber Spartan 2024 demonstrated the British Army’s commitment to staying ahead of these challenges by providing personnel with the opportunity to train in a live cyber battlespace, refine their skills, and develop stronger cyber defense strategies.
The live-fire format of the exercise has proven to be a highly effective way to prepare teams for real-world cyber incidents, offering hands-on training that strengthens both technical and strategic capabilities.
CybExer is proud to support the British Army’s cyber defense initiatives and looks forward to continuing this partnership in the future. The success of Army Cyber Spartan 2024 sets a strong foundation for future exercises, ensuring that military and allied personnel remain well-prepared for the evolving cyber threat landscape.
