A popular law course taught by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence brought together 60 students from 26 nations this summer.
In June and July, the Centre offered two iterations of its International Law of Cyber Operations course. The course was held in Tallinn, Estonia in June and in Oberammergau, Germany in July. The latter was offered in cooperation with the United States Naval War College and the NATO School.
The course gives students an in-depth overview of the international law implications of hostile cyber operations targeting states, as well as the legal bases and limitations of states’ own cyber operations. As such, it has been popular not only among lawyers, but also policy officers, strategic planners, and operators. In addition to the comprehensive curriculum, students greatly appreciated the opportunity to interact with distinguished scholars such as Professors Michael Schmitt and Wolff Heintschel von Heinegg, both Senior Fellows of the Centre, as well as getting to know their counterparts from other NATO nations and beyond.
The International Law of Cyber Operations course is based on the Tallinn Manual, thereby enabling students to keep abreast of the most recent research on the operational legal issues pertaining to cyberspace. The course will be taught again twice in 2015, with the dates to be announced in the near future.