2016 kept the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence busy. We welcomed Belgium as a sponsoring nation and a Swedish colleague is already working at the Centre while their joining process is being finalized. This brings the number of nations involved to 20.
At the Summit in Warsaw, NATO heads of state and government recognised cyberspace as a domain of operations in which NATO must defend itself as effectively as it does in the air, on land, and at sea. This decision further highlights why we need to be a fundamental resource for the Alliance in providing a 360-degree look at cyber defence with expertise in the areas of technology, strategy, operations and law. As a NATO-accredited knowledge hub, research institution, and training and exercise facility, we focus on interdisciplinary applied research, as well as consultations, trainings and exercises in the field of cyber security.
2017 offers a lot to look forward to. Tallinn Manual 2,0, the updated edition that expands analysis of applicability of international law to cyber operations to peacetime, will be launched in the first quarter. Locked Shields, the world’s biggest international technical cyber defence exercise, continues to offer challenges to the hands-on network defenders. CyCon 2017 will focus on defending the core elements of cyberspace.
From all of us here in Tallinn – we wish you a Merry Christmas. Have a relaxing holiday season and a productive 2017!
Sven Sakkov
Director
NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence