It is important to develop the ability to respond to cyber attack as they can cause as much damage as conventional attacks, 
confirmed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence yesterday.
“It is good to be here at the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence,” said the Secretary General addressing media at the Tallinn-based centre.
“We have stated at the Wales summit that cyber defence is part of NATO collective defence,” emphasized Stoltenberg. “Cyber attacks can be as dangerous as conventional attacks. They can shut down important infrastructure. They can have a great negative impact on our operations. Therefore it is important to develop our ability to respond to different kinds of cyber attacks.”
“The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence is a resource for NATO and the Allies as they continue to integrate cyber into training, exercises and operational planning,” commented Colonel Artur Suzik, director of the centre. “As a knowledge hub we facilitate cooperation, information sharing and learning through applied research, trainings and exercises.”
The Secretary General was briefed on the centre and its activities. His busy schedule in Estonia included a number of high-level appointments, including bilateral meeting with the Estonian Minister of Defence, Sven Mikser and a video link to NATOs largest multinational cyber defence exercise Cyber Coalition 2014 taking place in Tartu, Estonia.
The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence is a NATO-accredited multinational organisation dealing with research and development, education, consultation and lessons learned in the field of cyber security. The centre’s mission is to enhance capability, cooperation and information sharing among NATO, allies and partners in cyber defence.
Photos of the meetings are available at http://pildid.mil.ee/NATO-peasekret-r-Jens-Stoltenbergi-Eesti-visiit-20-11-14?page=6 (Photo credit: Estonian Defence Forces).