3 countries join NATO CCDCOE

  • 2022-05-06
  • BNS/TBT Staff

TALLINN - Canada, South Korea and Luxembourg have joined the Tallinn-based NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE).

To mark the occasion, a ceremonial and high-level flag-raising ceremony, attended by representatives of the new member states, ambassadors, Estonian top officials and employees of the NATO CCDCOE, took place on Thursday.

Col. Jaak Tarien, director of the NATO CCDCOE, said that Canada, the Republic of Korea and Luxembourg joining the center is a great honor. "Each member state has an important role to play in ensuring effective information exchange and cooperation to prevent and combat cyber threats," Tarien added.

The center has cooperated extensively with these three countries in the past. The mission of the NATO CCDCOE is to support member countries and NATO nations with unique cyber defense expertise. As an independent international organization, the center focuses on applied research, analysis, information sharing, as well as training and exercises in the field of cyber defense.

In his speech, the Canadian ambassador to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Kevin Rex, emphasized that Canada's military presence is the largest namely in Estonia. "We are very pleased to join the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence to further strengthen cooperation between both NATO and its member states," Rex said.

Max Gerten, representing Luxembourg, said that cooperation and the exchange of information are the best ways to combat cyber threats and added that Luxembourg is ready to play its part.

The representative of the Republic of Korea noted that Thursday's event is a good opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of the cyber sector and cooperation in this direction.

Founded in 2008, the NATO CCDCOE is a NATO-accredited cyber defense hub focusing on research, training and exercises. The international military organization is a community of nations providing a 360-degree look at cyber defense, with expertise in the areas of technology, strategy, operations and law.