Cybersecurity
Austria’s National Cyber Security and Defense Policy: Challenges and the Way Forward
Policy Highlights: Austria’s National Military Cyber Defense Policy Within a Whole-of-Government Context
The “Austrian Security Strategy: Security for a New Decade – Shaping Security,” adopted by the Austrian National Council in 2013 (ÖSS 2013) was followed in the same year by the “Austrian Cyber Security Strategy” (ÖSCS 2013), which was produced in accordance with the ÖSS. Both documents were developed at the national level.
Cyber Defence in Germany: Challenges and the Way Forward for the Bundeswehr
Policy Highlights
In Germany, the provision of cybersecurity—i.e. a condition where risks from cyberspace have been reduced to an acceptable minimum—is a whole-of-government task. This is laid down in the 2016 White Paper, the current basic document on German security policy. There are few areas where internal and external security are as closely intertwined as they are in cyberspace. This includes the joint protection of critical infrastructure.
National Cyber Defence Policies and the Role of International Cooperation
Digitalization has made our societies vulnerable to cyber threats – from electric grids to elections. This is also true for militaries, and cyber defence has become a natural task for all defence organizations. Cyber threats cannot be considered as new threats anymore. However, the cyber threat landscape is changing rapidly, and will continue to do so. Malicious viruses, hackers, hacking, etc., are still part of this landscape, but cyber weapons and cyberattacks originating from nation states are the primary security concerns today.