facilities in the region. Krivolak regularly hosts international military exer­cises, including the major Swift Response exercise in 2022, which brought together 4,600 troops from eight NATO countries. 81 The appointment of the former minister of defence of the Republic of North Macedonia, Radmila Shekerinska, as a NATO Deputy Secretary General in 2024 is another recognition of the country’s dedication in its path towards NATO, but also as a dedicated NATO member. The Western Balkan countries, including the Republic of North Macedonia, despite not yet being EU Member States, have increasingly proven their val­ue as security contributors and partners. The Republic of North Macedonia is contributing to past and ongoing CSDP missions of the European Union, and is showing its willingness and increased ability to engage in peace ef­forts in the international peacekeeping operations. The country, together with Serbia has contributed to military training and security sector reform in the Central African Republic. In addition, the Republic of North Mace­donia, together with Albania, has demonstrated particular interest and en­gagement in EUFOR Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the context of the country’s commitment to strengthening security in their own region. 82 In the context of UN peacekeeping missions, the Republic of North Macedonia through its Army has contributed to UNIFIL in Lebanon. 83 The Importance of Cyber Security The importance of cyberspace for national security is fundamental, espe­cially because the cyber security has strategic and tactical dimensions in national security, and it affects all levels of society. The cyber threats and their performance techniques are continuously evolving, and it represents threats to data security, electronic systems and personal privacy. The ex­pectations are that danger will grow in a future and cyber-attacks will be able to destroy state infrastructure, what could directly threaten citizens and significantly bloc state system(Injac and R. Šendelj, 2017). Confront­ing the cyber threats require strong commitment of all actors – they need to be innovative and adopt efficient technologies that can be adequate to contribute on enhancing national security, the global economy and individ­ual freedoms. Cyber threats and challenges can cause significant effects 81 More info available at the MoD website- https://mil.mk/exercises/swift-response-22/?lang=en. 82 More info available at the MoD website- https://mil.mk/megjunarodni-operacii/. 83 More info available at the MoD website- https://mil.mk/megjunarodni-operacii/. Chapter 3 – Case Study: The Republic Of North Macedonia 143