The International Defence Esports Games will help members of the Armed Forces develop cyber, digital and wider military skills.
The Ministry of Defence has appointed the British Esports Federation have partnered to improve the digital skills of military personnel.
Delivering a defence and industry esports tournament through UK Strategic Command - soon to be Cyber and Specialist Operations Command - defence is enhancing its warfighting capability by developing critical cyber skills, and Esports can provide an accessible environment to improve digital literacy and cyber understanding, a statement said.
The International Defence Esports Games will help members of the Armed Forces develop cyber, digital and wider military skills, and is initially open to service personnel, including reservists. It will expand to eventually include cadets, veterans, civil servants and anyone working in the defence industry.
Lieutenant General Sir Tom Copinger-Symes KCB CBE, deputy commander of UK Strategic Command, said: “Esports and serious games can contribute to our warfighting readiness. As competition and conflict increasingly play out in cyberspace and the digital arena, these games equip our people to think, operate and innovate across both the physical and virtual worlds, developing team coordination and rapid decision-making under pressure.
“We’ve learned from our Ukrainian partners about how esports can train drone operators and cyber security specialists. People are quickly grasping how esports can change perspectives and enhance skills, as well as reaching across borders with our international allies and partners.”
Al Carns MP, minister for Veterans and People, said: “Esports will help attract, develop, and retain top cyber and digital talent, while fostering this government’s Plan for Change. Our people must now be as adept with code, cybersecurity and a games controller as they are with traditional combat skills.”
Written by
Dan Raywood is a B2B journalist with 25 years of experience, including covering cybersecurity for the past 17 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes.
He has spoken at events including 44CON, Infosecurity Europe, RANT Forum, BSides Scotland, Steelcon and the National Cyber Security Show, and served as editor of SC Media UK, Infosecurity Magazine and IT Security Guru. He was also an analyst with 451 Research and a product marketing lead at Tenable.
