From: NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence

NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) welcomes the decision of Australia to become a member of the NATO-accredited cyber defence hub. Australia announced their decison today during an opening of Australia´s pop-up embassy in Estonia.

“Accession of Australia expands the reach and cooperation of like-minded nations in cyber defence beyond the Euro-Atlantic area, making our cyber defence hub truly global. We are glad to welcome Australia becoming a member nation,” said Merle Maigre, Director of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence.

This week, CCDCOE is organising one of its annual highlights, world´s largest and most advanced international live-fire cyber defence exercise Locked Shields 2018. The cyber defence exercise is a unique opportunity for national cyber defenders’ teams to practise protection of IT systems and critical infrastructure under a severe cyber attack. Australia is taking part of Locked Shields as an observer nation this year.

NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) is a NATO-accredited cyber defence hub focusing on research, training and exercises. The international military organisation based in Estonia provides a 360-degree look at cyber defence, with expertise in the areas of technology, strategy, operations and law.

NATO CCD COE is home of the Tallinn Manual 2.0, the most comprehensive guide on how International Law applies to cyber operations. The Centre organises the world’s largest and most complex international live-fire cyber defence exercise Locked Shields. Another highlight of the Centre is the International Conference on Cyber Conflict, CyCon, a unique event joining key experts and decision-makers of the global cyber defence community in Tallinn every spring. The tenth anniversary event CyCon X: Maximising Effects will take place from 30 May to 1 June 2018. In partnership with Munich Security Conference, CCDCOE will host the Cyber Security Summit in Tallinn on 29 May, 2018 on the eve of CyCon.

The Centre is staffed and financed by its member nations – to date Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Accession of Portugal will be celebrated tomorrow, Norway and Japan are also on the path of joining the Centre.

Warm regards,

Kadri Kütt

Head of Communications