New Delhi — India and five Central Asian countries have concluded a three-day Strategic Cyber Exercise in New Delhi aimed at strengthening cooperation on cyber threat hunting and incident response across the region.
The exercise, held from 12 to 14 November, was organised by the National Security Council Secretariat in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs and the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre.
Delegations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan took part in the event, which involved technical teams from national cyber security agencies and Computer Emergency Response Teams.
According to the NSCS, the exercise focused on improving skills needed to detect and respond to cross-border cyber incidents that target critical infrastructure such as energy grids, financial systems and telecommunications networks.
Participants were also exposed to simulated cyber attack environments and strategic decision-making drills to test institutional responses, communication protocols and incident escalation processes.
Focus shifts from individual defence to joint cyber security
Officials said the exercise aimed to move cooperation from isolated national preparedness towards a shared regional approach to cyber security. The participating countries discussed options for long-term collaboration such as information-sharing arrangements, high-level crisis coordination and joint research on cyber defence technologies.
The heads of national cyber security agencies from the Central Asian region met during the event to examine possible structures for sustained cooperation and policy coordination. NSCS highlighted that the interaction supported a commitment previously made under the India-Central Asia meeting of National Security Advisers and Secretaries of Security Councils.
According to the senior government officials, the exercise reflects deeper digital-security engagement between India and Central Asian governments at a time when cyber attacks on public utilities and strategic sectors are rising globally.
Regional reports over the past year have pointed to a sharp increase in ransomware and state-linked intrusions targeting aerospace, energy and government networks.
