Latvia-Singapore team claim top spot at NATO’s Locked Shields 2026 – with nine LMT Group specialists participating

The world's largest live-fire cyber defence exercise, Locked Shields 2026, concluded on 24 April after bringing together over 4,000 participants from 41 nations to defend critical infrastructure and military systems against real-time cyberattacks. The joint Latvia-Singapore team finished first among 16 multinational teams – and nine LMT Group employees were part of that winning effort, seven as active Blue Team defenders and two on the organiser side.

Locked Shields is not a simulation in the conventional sense. Teams face a live opposing force – a Red Team – actively attempting to compromise systems in real time. Participants must detect, contain, and respond to attacks on the kind of infrastructure that underpins everyday life: energy grids, air defence systems, e-voting platforms, and national IT systems. The exercise has been organised annually by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) since 2010, and has grown into the most demanding event of its kind in the world. 

The three highest-scoring teams of Locked Shields 2026 were:

1. Latvia, Singapore
2. Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland
3. France, Sweden

More important than ever

Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure are no longer theoretical. Across Europe and beyond, energy systems, communications networks, and government services have become targets of increasingly sophisticated campaigns. Exercises like Locked Shields exist to close the gap between policy and practice – building the kind of cross-border trust and shared operational fluency that cannot be developed through tabletop planning alone.

The 2026 edition placed particular emphasis on crisis management and the protection of critical systems, reflecting the reality that cyber incidents rarely occur in isolation. They unfold alongside political pressure, public uncertainty, and the need for rapid coordination across organisations that may never have worked together before.

Putting the Latvia in LMT

Latvia's first-place finish is a strong signal of the country's growing stature in the cyber domain – and LMT Group's presence within that winning team is a reflection of where the company stands in the national security ecosystem.

LMT Group's ability to contribute at this level reflects years of deliberate investment in cybersecurity expertise. The company's specialists brought direct operational experience in network defence and connectivity – competencies that translate naturally into the kind of high-pressure, infrastructure-focused scenarios that define Locked Shields.