Experts from NATO and the Republic of Moldova have been working together to enhance the resilience of the country’s critical energy infrastructure against cyber and hybrid threats. Exercise Coherent Resilience 2024 Moldova (CORE-24 M) was held in Chisinau between 12-14 March 2024. The NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence worked together with NATO HQ and the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Moldova. The country’s Minister of Energy, Victor Parlicov, highlighted the importance of the exercise: “In the energy sector, digitalisation brings along new opportunities, but also risk and threats that are of extraordinary importance. We need to make sure that our civilian energy infrastructure is not abused for malicious purposes.”
CORE-24 M focused on deepening collaboration between Moldovan energy operators and cyber defenders, ensuring the country is prepared to deal with non-conventional security threats. Ministries, government agencies, and the private sector participated in the exercise to help strengthen their cooperation. The event also saw participation from a Romanian delegation, emphasizing NATO and Allied cooperation in the region with partners at risk. The exercise was also supported by the NATO Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence, the Lithuanian Armed Forces, the European Union Joint Research Centre, the Romanian New Strategy Center, and the US Naval Postgraduate School. Over 100 participants from 10 nations and 32 institutions were present.
The exercise strengthens NATO and Moldova’s partnership at a critical time. It demonstrates NATO’s commitment to enhancing Moldova’s resilience and to improve its defence and security capacities, while fully respecting its constitutional neutrality.
