OTCC and the Embassy of Canada Host North American OT Interdependencies Forum

The Operational Technology Cybersecurity Coalition and the Embassy of Canada convened the North American OT Interdependencies Forum, bringing together government and industry leaders from the United States, Canada, and Mexico to advance a shared approach to critical infrastructure resilience. The forum included representatives from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, and the Embassy of Mexico in Washington, D.C.

North American critical infrastructure does not stop at national borders. Energy grids, water systems, transportation networks, and supply chains are deeply intertwined across the continent, meaning that a disruption in one country can quickly become a shared problem. The forum was designed to address that reality head-on, creating space for the kind of candid, cross-sector dialogue that is essential to building the trust and coordination that effective collective defense requires.

Throughout the afternoon, participants engaged in substantive discussions on a range of interconnected topics:

• Aligning definitions of critical infrastructure across energy, water, transportation, healthcare, and ICT

• Governance models for OT security in an increasingly interconnected environment

• Improving real-time threat and intelligence sharing between governments and industry

• Industry challenges securing industrial control systems amid IT-OT convergence

• Secure-by-design approaches for OT, including implications of AI, automation, and post-quantum cryptography

• Bridging policy intent with operational and procurement realities

The forum reinforced a shared understanding that North American infrastructure resilience depends on collaboration, trust, and sustained vendor-neutral dialogue across borders and sectors. No single government or company can address these challenges in isolation, and forums like this one are where the relationships and frameworks necessary for coordinated action are built.

OTCC is proud to serve as a convener that helps government and industry move from discussion to coordinated action, and looks forward to continued engagement with partners across the continent.