The Cyber Command, part of Estonian Defence Forces, and ADM Group together with ADM Cloudtech teamed up to create a crisis communication training simulation code-named Game of War. This training simulation was created by the Cyber Command and our companies at the K48 Defense Makeathon in Spring of this year and it is a great example of co-operation between the innovative Defence Forces and the private sector. 

Game of War came from the Defence Forces’ direct need for a secure simulation environment. The search for the best possible solution for a virtual information space began at the K48 Defence Makeathon organised in March by conscripts of the Cyber Command. 48 hours of actively working on projects was not enough for a final solution, which is why development on the project continued at ADM’s monthly R&D days and after that, as work on a project for a separate product. The result is a secure virtual room that is not connected to the internet and is instead connected to different workstations. The room can be used for both small and local as well as the most complicated crisis situations.

Game of War came from the Defence Forces’ direct need for a secure simulation environment.

Commander of Cyber Command, Colonel Andres Harik said in a press release that it is very important for the Cyber Command to be able to maximise the work done by highly qualified and prized Estonian IT specialists in their area of specialty, since cyber defence and security are extremely important in the current climate. According to him, the cooperative projects such as this one help raise awareness and open up new opportunities for the Defence Forces, companies, younger IT specialists who are currently conscripted, and experienced experts who attend reserve trainings.

Commander of Cyber Command, Colonel Andres Harik: “it is very important for the Cyber Command to be able to maximise the work done by highly qualified and prized Estonian IT specialists in their area of specialty, since cyber defence and security are extremely important in the current climate.

From idea to prototype and to the final solution

The prototype version of Game of War was tested out for the first time at a recent training where more than 20 bureaus from the Defence Forces and the Police and Border Guard Board to the Government Office of Estonia worked on solving a hypothetical crisis involving the whole of Estonia. In an actual crisis situation, different state institutions have to communicate with one another by using both very specific and regular communication devices and channels. For it to be possible to organise a training like this that could later be analysed properly, the creation of a simulation environment was necessary. The solution can be used to play out different scenarios and events for the participants who then have to resolve them.

All the activities that take place, the communications between all parties, and activities that have taken place in the real world are combined in a way that enables the processes and the data to be analysed by a machine. These trainings and simulations help clarify which aspects of the communications and the chain of command could be made even better, how to make critical communications even clearer and unambiguous for everyone, where and how to get help, and how to make all of these things more effective than previously.

Next phase

The next step is to analyse this data thoroughly, including written messages as well as calls that have been made machine-readable. The results of the analysis will then be used by the researchers of the Defence Forces and Estonian universities to create more effective models for how to act in a real crisis situation as well as in simulations.

The next phase of the project will see work on developing options for interfacing the simulator’s control centre with existing communication platforms.

If the current prototype product was created as a separate tool for universal crisis communication trainings, then the next phase of the project will see work on developing options for interfacing the simulator’s control centre with existing communication platforms. Additionally, the possibility of using this technology in private businesses who are obligated to organise crisis communication trainings will also be mapped out. There has also been initial interest in the product from Estonia’s partners in NATO.