William Molinié, edited by Gauthier Delomez
modified to
7:13 a.m., June 28, 2022
As the NATO summit opens this Tuesday in Madrid, Europe 1 takes stock of the security of this international meeting in the context of the war in Ukraine. The Spanish press even presents this security operation as the most important in the modern history of Spain.
The NATO summit in Madrid opens on Tuesday. Around forty delegations are taking part: the 30 member countries of the Alliance, plus Sweden and Finland, who have been invited, as well as eight other countries such as Australia and Japan, the European Commission and the European Council. In total, nearly fifty hotels have been reserved in the capital of Spain.
The biggest security operation in Spain’s modern history
It is a logistical feat that the Madrid authorities are preparing to take up. The Spanish press even presents it as the most important security operation in the modern history of the country. 10,000 members of the police are mobilized to secure the center of Madrid, which will live under a bell for 72 hours.
The logistical challenge is immense, from the hotels to the exhibition center which will be transformed into a real bunker. For example, the Americans alone have reserved 1,200 rooms just for Joe Biden’s entourage. The government has declared alert level 4 on a scale of 1 to 5.
Risks of cyber-attacks from Russia or under “ghost flag”
But it is above all the risk of cyberattack that is most feared by the Spanish authorities. Attackers could be tempted to block, for example, airports and therefore impact the holding of this summit. “To operate a cyberattack at the same time would be an incredible showcase for Moscow”, explained a cyberdefense specialist a few days ago to Europe 1.
And that’s without taking into account the risks linked to the very nature of these meetings, which usually swarm with spies from all over the world. Connections to public Wi-Fi are all gateways to obtaining crucial information on the negotiations in progress. All parties know that the slightest event can be exploited to create a diplomatic incident.