As of January 2018 NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) is responsible for identifying and coordinating education and training solutions in the field of cyber defence operations for all NATO bodies across the Alliance. The new role is another testament of the high-level and interdisciplinary expertise that the Centre has acquired in the field of cyber defence.
“We are honoured to play a part in this new challenge. Investing in training and education is probably the best kind of commitment one can make. The returns are huge, though not always measureable in terms of dollars or euros. This is especially relevant in the context of the tidal wave of technology, which opens new opportunities, but also makes skills obsolete more quickly,” said Merle Maigre, Director of the NATO-affiliated knowledge hub currently joining 20 nations.
CCDCOE takes on these new responsibilities with the status of Department Head for Cyber Defence Operations Education and Training Discipline, granted by the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), one of NATO’s two strategic commanders. The Centre continues to work closely with Allied Command Transformation, which is situated in Norfolk, USA, to ensure the availability of cyber training in a rapidly evolving field. Allied Commander Transformation is responsible for promoting and overseeing the continuing transformation of Alliance forces and capabilities including the responsibility for NATO Education and Training.
The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence is a NATO-accredited cyber defence hub focusing on research, training and exercises. The international military organisation based in Estonia is a community of currently 20 nations providing a 360-degree look at cyber defence, with expertise in the areas of technology, strategy, operations and law.
The CCDCOE is home to the Tallinn Manual 2.0, the most comprehensive guide on how International Law applies to cyber operations. The Centre also organises the world’s largest and most complex international technical 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.