The Netherlands’ Ministry of Defense’s Defense Cyber Command (DCC) and Thales entered into a contract to set up a new Cyber Range, a cybersecurity training and testing facility, the company said Wednesday.

The new facility will provide the ministry with new cybersecurity capabilities, particularly education and training of personnel.

In the Cyber Range, cyber attacks, incidents, and protective measures will be simulated and tested on various Defense Ministry systems, information technology environments, and communications links, the company said. The contract calls for Thales to both build the facility and provide continued support for the following three years.

From left to right: René Van Buuren, cybersecurity director for Thales in the Netherlands and Brigadier General and Commander of DCC Hans Folmer agree on a new contract to construct and support a new Cyber Range. Photo: Thales.
From left to right: René Van Buuren, cybersecurity director for Thales in the Netherlands and Brigadier General and Commander of DCC Hans Folmer agree on a new contract to construct and support a new Cyber Range. Photo: Thales.

 “The Cyber Range is an important step for the Defense Cyber Command (DCC). It is a facility at which many forms of cyber operations can be simulated. This is essential for training our staff and testing our systems,” Brig. Gen. Hans Folmer, commander of the DCC, said in a statement.

The DCC is responsible for developing and preparing cyber capabilities and conducting cyber operations within the ministry. It began operations in September 2014. A major component of the DCC is the Defense Cyber Expertise Center (DCEC), which seeks to enhance the specific knowledge and innovative capacity of defense within the cyber domain, Saab said.

Thales and the Dutch Ministry of Defense have a long-standing cybersecurity relationship, with the company securing NATO communication links and a recently launched DCC-Thales collaboration studying cyber situational awareness. The Cyber Range is another expansion of the cybersecurity cooperation.