[April 2026] CREST has been appointed by NATO as an Implementing Agent to support cybersecurity capability building across partner nations. The collaboration will focus on strengthening cyber resilience, improving assurance, and developing sustainable workforce capability at a national level.

Introduction

NATO’s International Staff has appointed CREST among the bedrock pool of eligible Implementing Agents for NATO projects under the Defence and related security Capacity Building Initiative and other Defence and Security Cooperation Directorate Programmes.  CREST – and through us our community of members and educational partners – look forward to supporting NATO partners in building cybersecurity capability and resilience, including: using CREST’s successful CREST CAMP model for accelerating cybersecurity maturity; CREST’s standards for cyber security service provision to assess the capability of cybersecurity teams or suppliers and develop roadmaps for improvement; and providing training aligned to CREST’s syllabus and certifications for cybersecurity work roles. 

Strategic context

NATO’s core mission is to safeguard the freedom and security of its members through political and military means, including strengthening resilience against cyber threats that undermine national and collective security.

NATO’s International Staff Operations Division (IS OPS) leads a range of cyber-related initiatives under the Defence and related security Capacity Building (DCB) Initiative, the Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine, Partnership programmes, and other approved initiatives.

To advance this mission, and recognising CREST’s expertise in developing sustainable cybersecurity ecosystems and professional standards, NATO IS OPS has appointed CREST among the bedrock pool of Implementing Agents for the DCB Initiative and other elements of the DSCD Programme, under a formal global collaboration agreement focused on building NATO partners’ capability, capacity, and consistency across the cybersecurity sector.

Through CREST – and through it, its members and educational partners – involvement in NATO-directed or supported programmes, NATO Allies and Partners may benefit from improved cybersecurity capability within internal teams, improved assurance of service providers, and a more effective and resilient cyber workforce.

How the collaboration supports NATO objectives

The NATO–CREST collaboration may specifically reinforce NATO objectives by:

• Improving the capabilities of partners’ cyber security units;
• Assessing the quality of external service providers, or the critical infrastructure on which NATO partners rely – strengthening local economies and reducing supply-chain and procurement risks for governments and critical sectors;
• Elevating national cyber security workforces, creating credible employment pathways and reinforcing long-term security capacity.

How CREST will deliver

CREST, as an entity within the bedrock pool of implementing agents, is now positioned to support NATO’s objectives by applying its proven delivery models to strengthen local cybersecurity ecosystems by using:

• CREST’s Accreditation Standards for cybersecurity service provision to evaluate NATO partner teams;
• CREST’s experience developing and running accreditation programmes for national authorities to develop accreditation initiatives aligned to NATO needs to evaluate service providers and protect critical infrastructure and essential services;
• CREST’s successful Cyber Accelerated Maturity (CREST CAMP) model to support domestic cybersecurity service providers in developing their capabilities to operate in line with internationally recognised standards;
• CREST’s skills pathways, syllabus, certifications to develop cyber security talent through certification, and skills pathways that preserve local ownership and sovereignty, supporting employability, career progression, and workforce sustainability; and
• CREST’s educational partners to deliver in-country training programmes that further NATO-approved initiatives.