The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has selected Immersive Labs to upskill the British Armed Forces against modern cyber threats as part of the Digital Skills for Defence program.
The agreement will see the provision of the firm’s AppSec, Cyber Pro, and Crisis Sim platforms to hone the military’s cyber and digital readiness.
The three solutions were trialed by the British Army before being integrated into the program.
The platforms will provide access to 1,800 hands-on cybersecurity labs and realistic simulations for the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, British Army, Civil Service, and Strategic Command to evaluate their decision-making performance.
“The Digital Skills for Defence programme is crucial in our drive to provide the right digital skills and capabilities across Defence to take advantage of the opportunity brought about by the ever-increasing pace of technological change,” UK MoD Director of Functional Integration Claire Fay said.
Selecting Experts for Cyber Resilience
According to Immersive Labs, the project will ensure all personnel across the UK military have Suitably Qualified Experienced Person candidates to fill roles in cyber management, maintenance, operations, and other cyber-related tasks.
“Throughout the world, cybersecurity threats are increasing, and national security depends on teams and individuals with the right capabilities to effectively and dynamically respond to cyber attacks of all kinds,” UK MoD Cyber Defence and Risk Director Christine Maxwell explained.
Immersive Labs is working with other firms and governments to enhance cyber workforce resilience by providing skills-based assessments to identify candidates with in-demand cybersecurity expertise.
“We applaud the Ministry of Defence for its proactive efforts to support national security with a people-centric approach to cybersecurity,” said Matt Knutsen, Chief Revenue Officer at Immersive Labs.
“Utilising the best technology and brightest minds in industry will only serve to bolster the rank of cyber experts focused on protecting the UK,” UK Defence Procurement Minister Alex Chalk added.