30/09/2026
The NATO Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Centre (NMIOTC) successfully concluded its 10th Conference on Cyber Security in the Maritime Domain, held in Souda Bay, Greece, from 23 to 24 September 2026.
The conference brought together more than 110 participants from 30 nations. Attendees included representatives from the Armed Forces, the NATO Command Structure, the European Union, national authorities, international organizations, academia and research institutions, as well as the shipping, energy, telecommunications, information technology and defence industries.
The NMIOTC Commandant, Commodore Pavlos Angelopoulos, delivered the welcome address, followed by Brigadier General Grigorios Goutzelis GRC (A), Commander of the Cyberspace Command of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (HNDGS) who provided the opening remarks.
The Conference featured keynote addresses by Mr Michail Bletsas, Governor of the National Cybersecurity Authority (NCSA) of Greece, Brigadier General Konstantinos Kokodroulis, ACOS J6 at SHAPE, and Dr Evangelos Ouzounis, Head of Capacity Building of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA).
Over two days of high-level discussion, participants examined the evolving cyber threat landscape across interconnected maritime networks. They focused on the intersection of emerging technologies, most notably artificial intelligence (AI), with operational security in both the naval and commercial sectors of the maritime domain.
The programme featured sessions dedicated to autonomous shipping resilience, the protection of subsea cables and critical port infrastructure, and advanced fleet-scale cyber ranges. Discussions underscored the strategic imperative of securing operational technology (OT) systems and supply chains against sophisticated hybrid threats. Speakers emphasized practical frameworks, automated defense mechanisms and standardized risk assessments to safeguard critical maritime assets against increasingly complex digital vectors.
The final sessions addressed human dynamics alongside technological solutions. They also highlighted the integration of agentic artificial AI, tactical readiness training, and continuous cyber assurance for command and control architectures. As the maritime domain accelerates its digital transformation, the conference reinforced the necessity of cross-sector collaboration, live-fire and tabletop exercises, and robust regulatory measures to ensure operational resilience across fleets and port facilities.
NMIOTC extends its sincere appreciation to all keynote speakers, moderators, panelists and attendees, whose expertise, engagement and insights ensured the success of the 10th NMIOTC Cyber Security Conference in the Maritime Domain.
