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3. NATO’s response to hybrid threats
NATO should be prepared to act when either military or non-military means are employed in
a closely coordinated manner, with the aim to destabilise the situation in a member’s territory or to
test NATO solidarity. Thus, regular high level crisis management exercises serves as an opportunity
for decision makers and institutions to learn how to act under different scenarios in ambiguous
and uncertain environments. Another important direction is increasing the resilience of individual
members and the Alliance as a whole, in order to impede the abilities of opponents to successfully
use hybrid measures.
Lithuania also promotes the development of the Alliance’s competencies and capabilities in
the areas of energy, cyber and information security. NATO has a role in energy security of the Allies,
including critical energy infrastructure protection. At the Wales Summit, Allies agreed to integrate
cyber defence into the collective defence system, while at the Warsaw Summit, cyberspace was
declared the fourth domain of operations alongside land, sea and air.
“A decision as to when a cyber-attack would lead to the invocation of Article 5 would be
taken by the North Atlantic Council on a case-by-case basis.“ Wales Summit Declaration
Lithuania likewise contributes to the development of these Allied competences and capabilities. The NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence based in Vilnius, offers expert support in
the areas of energy efficient of military capabilities, critical energy infrastructure protection and
situational awareness related to energy security. In addition, Lithuania is a member of the NATO
Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Estonia, the NATO Strategic Communications
Centre of Excellence in Latvia and the NATO Counter Intelligence Centre of Excellence in Poland.
NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of
Excellence (established in 2008, Talinn)
NATO Strategic Communications Centre of
Excellence (established in 2014, Riga)
NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence
(established in 2012, Vilnius)
NATO Counter Intelligence Centre
of Excellence (established in 2015,
Krakow)
Lithuania’s contribution
to NATO Centres of Excellence
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