NSPA General Manager: protecting critical energy infrastructure is key to ensuring security

Source: NATO Support nad Procurement Agency (NSPA)

On 30 November 2022, NSPA General Manager, Ms Stacy Cummings, participated in the 21st edition of the Berlin Security Conference; "Europe and NATO: Direction for Action". The event, held from 30 November to 1 December 2022 is one of the largest European security and defence policy conferences.

Ms Cummings took part in a panel session titled “Energy and Critical Infrastructure – a Strategic Challenge”. During the session, chaired by H.E. Torgeir Larsen, Ambassador of Norway to Germany, the General Manager shared views on the link between energy independence and diversification and international security.

Ms Cummings explained how NATO is adapting to become more resilient and described the role that NSPA plays in supporting the Alliance approach towards enhanced sustainability. “NSPA has been supporting the Alliances’ journey towards environmental sustainability for more than a decade, envisioning NSPA’s evolution towards an environmentally responsible Agency that customers choose to acquire sustainable capabilities leveraging the latest technology”, she explained, providing examples on how the Agency is taking initiatives and measures toward this goal.

When discussing the new energy infrastructure and the associated cybersecurity challenges. Ms Cummings highlighted that security is a vital element of resilience: the disruption of energy supply affects security within the societies of NATO member and partner countries, and have an impact on NATO’s military operations. Protecting critical energy infrastructure is therefore a key task in ensuring security. She mentioned the role of the NSPA’s Central Europe Pipeline System Programme (CEPS) and the undergoing effort to enhance its sustainable readiness, its responsiveness, and its overall resilience in support of NATO’s Energy Security objectives.

The General Manager also engaged in discussions on cyberdefence and explained how NATO Allies are strengthening their ability to detect, prevent and respond to malicious cyber activities, including through exercises like Cyber Coalition 22, one of the largest initiatives of its kind in the world, with 1,000 cyber defenders from 26 NATO Allies and other Partner countries. She also highlighted that Cyberdefence is one of the areas where NATO has stepped up our cooperation with the EU, as part of our increasingly coordinated efforts to share information in real time and counter hybrid threats.

The two-day event gathered over 130 speakers from international organisations – including Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s Secretary General – political and civil society, armed forces, as well as security organisations and industry. The main topics discussed included transatlantic cooperation, the European Post-Cold War security system and European security and defence.

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