The interactive workshop examines a critical but often underdeveloped layer of cyber defence: municipal resilience. As modern conflict increasingly targets civilian infrastructure, urban digital ecosystems have become operational theatres. Cities operate critical services – energy distribution, water management, emergency response, mobility and healthcare interfaces – that are deeply interconnected with national and allied systems. Their disruption has immediate strategic, societal and military implications.

This session explores how strengthening municipal-level cyber capabilities contribute directly to NATO’s resilience baseline requirements, civil preparedness objectives and whole-of-society defence concepts.

The operational core of the workshop draws on lessons from the Kyiv region during sustained wartime disruption. Faced with kinetic attacks, cyber operations, and prolonged power outages, municipal authorities, together with private sector partners, implemented rapid measures to maintain resilient connectivity for millions of citizens.

Key topics include:

• Maintaining mobile network stability under physical and cyber attack
• Backup power and decentralised energy solutions for telecommunications infrastructure
• Public–private operational coordination at the city level
• SOC-to-SOC cooperation between municipal and national actors
• Crisis communication

Workshop is open for CyCon 2026 delegates. Further information: https://cycon.org/