Cybersecurity high in the NATO Brussels Summit Declaration

Heads of State and Government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Brussels 11-12 July 2018 issued the Brussels Summit Declaration. The Alliance will continue to implement cyberspace as a domain of operations, in accordance with international law.The participants reached an agreement on how to integrate sovereign cyber effects, provided voluntarily by Allies, into Alliance operations and missions in the framework of strong political oversight. The Declaration also recognized attribution as a sovereign national prerogative and gives Individual Allies the right to consider, when appropriate, attributing malicious cyber activity and responding in a coordinated manner. It expresses the determination to employ the full range of capabilities – including but not limiting to cyber – to deter, defend against, and counter cyber threats, including those conducted as part of a hybrid campaign. The Allies also expressed their determination to deliver strong national cyber defenses by fully implementing the Cyber Defense Pledge. The Declaration confirmed the establishment of Cyberspace Operations Centre, whose creation was announced in November 2017, which will be situated in Belgium and will provide situational awareness and coordination of NATO operational activity in cyberspace.