Cyber KONGO 2026: Hosted by Nihon Cyber Defence Co., Ltd. and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Systems Division
Supporting the multinational cyber defense exercise (Cyber KONGO 2026) hosted by Nihon Cyber Defence Co., Ltd. and the Ground Self-Defense Force System, Signal and Cyber School
Nihon Cyber Defence Co., Ltd. (CEO: Cartan McLaughlin) provided support for the FY2025 Multinational Cyber Defense Exercise (CyberKONGO2026), hosted by the Ground Self‑Defense Force System, Signal and Cyber School from Wednesday, February 18 to Friday, February 20, 2026.
During the exercise, the company assisted in building the training environment and provided operational support for the cyber defense units of the Ministry of Defense and the Self‑Defense Forces, as well as for cybersecurity response units from 17 partner nations.
The Growing Importance of Strengthening Cyber Defense Capabilities
As terms such as hybrid warfare and multi-domain operations become more common, the importance of cyber defense capabilities—which play a key role in these concepts—continues to grow. In response, the government revised the three key national security documents at the end of 2022 and announced a policy to train a total of 20,000 cyber personnel across the Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces, including those engaged in cyber‑related duties.
The objectives of this year’s ‘CyberKONGO2026’ were twofold.
One was to assess the current proficiency of cyber incident response units through training that reflects the latest cyber technologies, and to promote further improvement in their skills.
The other was to foster multilateral engagement and contribute to strengthening future cooperation among participating nations.
Overview of the Training
The training scenario for this exercise was developed primarily by the team from Nihon Cyber Defence’s Ukraine office, under the guidance of the Ground Self‑Defense Force System, Signal and Cyber School. As is widely known, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, is a hybrid war in which cyberattacks occur daily. Based on the experience and knowledge gained from this situation, the training was conducted using a scenario that was both up‑to‑date and highly realistic.
Based on the law on active cyber defense enacted in 2025, the need to enhance cyber capabilities is increasing, and practical exercises such as this have become even more important.
Period: February 18–20, 2026
Participants: Cyber defense units from the Self-Defense Forces and military teams from various foreign countries, totalling approximately 40 teams.
