Tactical Drills Cyber Tesla 2026

The Tactical Drills Cyber Tesla 2026, organized by the Telecommunications and IT Directorate (J-6) of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, was held in the premises of the IT and Signals Training Center in the Field Marshal Radomir Putnik Barracks in Gornji Milanovac.

Specialists from the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces participated in the five-day drills, entitled “Defense of the telecommunications and information system against cyber threats during the preparation and execution of operations of the Serbian Armed Forces”, along with representatives of the private and public sectors, as well as the academic community who have competences and expertise in the field of information security.

The general goal is to build the military capabilities of the defense system to defend against high-tech attacks and improve cooperation with relevant entities from the state and private sector and the academic community for the purpose of protecting the information space of the Republic of Serbia.

The focus of the activity was on the early and timely recognition of cyber threats, which could significantly threaten the telecommunications and information system of the Republic of Serbia. In a closed computer network, various security incidents were simulated, divided into several categories, with a limited time to overcome them.

The exercise leader Colonel Zoran Perišić, head of the Information Security Center, has pointed out that “Cyber Tesla” is being implemented with the aim of developing further the capabilities of the defense system to protect telecommunication and information systems from cyber threats.

— During the exercise, the participants practiced the detection, analysis and removal of various forms of cyber threats, the application of information security measures and acting in accordance with doctrinal documents and standard operating procedures through realistic scenarios. The special importance of such activities is reflected in the verification of the teams' ability to respond to security incidents, the exchange of experience and improvement of cooperation between the military, state, private and academic sectors in the protection of the information space of the Republic of Serbia — said Colonel Perišić, pointing out that the novelty of this year’s drills was the ranking of the teams based on their success in identifying, analyzing and responding to cyber threats, which enabled an additional assessment of skills of participants and the effectiveness of the application of procedures during simulated cyber incidents.

Lt. Col. Marko Premović from the Center for Information Security has said that participating in the tactical drills Cyber Tesla 2026 represents a significant professional experience for him, since he had the opportunity to practice procedures under various threats from cyberspace together with his colleagues.

— Through working in teams, exchanging information and coordinating activities with participants from other units, institutions and organizations, we improved further the knowledge and skills in the field of information security and cyber defense. Practicing procedures in accordance with standard operating procedures, as well as making decisions in limited time and increased pressure, was of particular importance to us — said Lt. Col. Premović, adding that the ranking of the teams allowed the participants to review their own results and compare approaches to carrying out the tasks, as well as to gain new experience that will be important in further work and improvement.