Pavlo KryvenkoIn Tallinn, Estonia, the flags of Ukraine, the Republic of Ireland, Iceland, and Japan were raised on Tuesday to mark the four countries’ official entry into the Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE) of NATO.
After Estonia joined NATO and moved a Soviet war memorial from the capital city of Tallinn to a military cemetery a few kilometers away, the nation was subjected to a wave of cyberattacks. As a result, the CCDCOE was established in 2008, a few years after Estonia joined NATO.
The nation was innovatively crippled by the use of digital technology. They illustrated the potential consequences of cyber hostilities for a country and sparked a significant research effort into cyberwarfare at NATO. As a result, the Tallinn Manual, which examines how international law applies to cyber conflict, and the Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence were both established.
The CCDCOE, which celebrated its 15th anniversary on Tuesday, is a recognized international military body that includes participation from more than 30 NATO members as well as other democratic nations including Australia, South Korea, and Switzerland. Although it doesn’t have a permanent army, Iceland is a member of NATO; the other three new CCDCOE members are not.
The CCDCOE is “delighted to have like-minded nations sharing cyber knowledge and exchanging methods to systematically address cyber attacks”, according to Mart Norma, the organization’s head, who expressed his gratitude for Ireland, Iceland, Japan, and Ukraine joining the group.
Hanno Pevkur, Estonia’s minister of defense, extended a special greeting to Ukraine, noting that the country’s inclusion “offers a unique opportunity to simultaneously contribute to Ukraine’s defense in Russia’s brutal war and learn from the cyber battlefield to improve the cyber security of all members.”