Leonardo Apprentices Complete First International Exercise at UK-Led Defence Cyber Marvel
Leonardo has completed its first international deployment at the Defence Cyber Marvel, a multinational digital security exercise led by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The company’s squad consisted of 11 apprentices from its Cyber and Security division in Bristol and was joined by experts from the British Army’s Royal Signals reserve unit.
At the event, the crew was ordered to defend a network of Windows, Linux, operational technology, and other systems against escalating attacks under Singapore’s time zone, where most of the military and industry teams are located for the competition.
Leonardo’s full-time Security Operations Centre staff prepared the team, while the Royal Signals personnel provided mentoring throughout the challenge.
“Because the exercise ran on Singapore time, we started our day at 1 am UK time in our Bristol Security Operations Centre,” said team lead Oliver.
“While it was a struggle to adjust at first, the team quickly came together and we found the late nights added to the realism and intensity of the exercise and demonstrated the commitment and resilience the team of apprentices brought to the table.”
The company said that the activity concluded with its specialists being able to analyze real-time intelligence to guide defense operations, review indicators of compromise, reinforce systems, and isolate threats.
“This week was an incredibly valuable week for the whole team,” he said.
“As apprentices we are always looking for new opportunities, and this was the perfect way for us to improve our blue team skills.”
The Defence Cyber Marvel
London’s Defence Cyber Marvel is an annual exercise conducted in partnership with the British National Crime Agency, the UK Cabinet Office, Department of Business and Trade, and Department of Work and Pensions.
The war gaming event aims to continuously improve the digital skills of allied forces for a cooperative response against real-world cyber threats.
Now in its fifth year, the 2026 iteration in Singapore involved approximately 2,500 participants from 29 countries and 70 organizations.
