Iceland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson, visited the NATO CCDCOE and met with Director Colonel Jaak Tarien for a briefing and candid discussions on the future of cyber defence.
„There is much more to cyber than technology,“ said Col Tarien. “Small states see clearly the benefit of cooperation in cyber defence.”
“Visiting NATO Centre of Excellence for Cyber Defence has been one of the highlights of my stay in Tallinn. The excellent work done here is truly impressive,” said Mr Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson. “Estonia is the leader on cyber security and as such the country is a prime example of how smaller countries can specialize in certain areas making considerable contribution to our security.”
During his visit, the Foreign Minister also met with his counterpart Mr Urmas Reinsalu, Minister of Foreign Trade and Information Technology Mr Kaimar Karu, and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Mr Kristjan Prikk.
The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (NATO CCDCOE) is a NATO-accredited knowledge hub, think-tank and training facility. The international military organisation focuses on interdisciplinary applied research and development, as well as consultations, trainings and exercises in the field of cyber security.
The heart of the Centre is a diverse group of international experts from 25 nations, including legal scholars, policy and strategy experts as well as technology researchers with military, government and industry backgrounds.
The Centre is staffed and financed by its member nations – Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. Australia, Luxembourg, Canada, Japan, Ireland, Montenegro, Slovenia, Switzerland and South Korea are also on the path of joining the Centre.