Multinational cyberdefence exercise held in Singapore for first time, 29 countries involved

A joint team formed by Singapore's Digital and Intelligence Service and the British Armed Forces planning their cyberdefence strategy. The team is led by the Singapore lead, ME4 Loo Hanrence (left), and the British lead, Petty Officer Timothy Stanley (second from left).

SINGAPORE – More than 2,500 cyberdefenders from various armed forces, government agencies and industry partners across 29 countries are participating in a cyberdefence exercise held in Singapore from Feb 9 to 13.

The participants, who are attending in person or remotely from around the world, will respond to a range of simulated attacks to gain experience in countering advanced persistent threat (APT) actors.

Defence Cyber Marvel, which is conducted by the British Army Cyber Association and is in its fifth edition in 2026, is being held in Singapore for the first time.

According to the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), Singapore’s Digital and Intelligence Service’s (DIS) Defence Cyber Command and its British Armed Forces counterparts will form a team and defend against a series of complex, real-world cyberthreats simulated in a realistic operational environment.

“The team will respond to a range of simulated attacks targeting critical infrastructure, government networks and private sector systems, gaining realistic experience in countering advanced persistent threat actors amid a rapidly evolving digital and cybersecurity landscape,” it said.

APT actors are well-resourced attackers using sophisticated techniques to evade detection. They lurk in networks to spy over the long term, steal sensitive information or disrupt essential services, among other objectives.

One such group, UNC3886, had attacked all four major telcos in Singapore , the authorities revealed on Feb 9. No sensitive data was accessed or exfiltrated, and critical systems such as the 5G core were also not compromised.

had attacked all four major telcos in Singapore

Singapore’s position as a leading technology and security hub makes it an ideal location for an exercise of this scale, said Air Marshal Suraya Marshall, deputy commander of the Cyber and Specialist Operations Command, which is part of Britain’s Ministry of Defence.

“The choice to hold the exercise in Singapore underscores the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific region and the UK’s ongoing work to strengthen cyberdefence partnerships,” she said.

“This work also complements our NATO commitments by building a broader network of allies capable of responding to global threats.”

In the 2025 edition of the exercise, hosted in Seoul, South Korea, two teams competed in live attack-and-defence scenarios , forcing them to think creatively and develop new cyberdefence techniques.

competed in live attack-and-defence scenarios

The DIS, which was established in October 2022, has participated in the annual exercise since 2024, when it was held in Estonia.

MINDEF said its participation over the years highlights the growing importance of cybersecurity in modern military operations and that its collaboration with the British Armed Forces underscores the warm and longstanding bilateral defence relations between Singapore and Britain.