NATO adds “cyber” as its military domain

At the meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels, NATO has declared cyberspace as its fourth operational domain, in addition to air, land and sea. According to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, most conflicts today have a cyber dimension; in this regard, he clarified that the decision will enable NATO to coordinate better to protect against cyberattacks, and to develop capabilities to protect countries’ cyber networks – especially to be able to attribute different kinds of cyberattacks. Stoltenberg also confirmed that NATO and the European Union have agreed on the arrangements on technical measures related to cyber-defence. This decision comes as an expected follow up of an earlier NATO decision that a cyberattack on a member state can trigger collective defence by any means (as in Article 5 of NATO Treaty).