17 June 2009

Press announcement of the CCD COE - 17 June, 2009

Minister Aaviksoo opened Conference on Cyber Warfare

Minister of Defence of Estonia Mr Jaak Aaviksoo made the opening remarks at the Conference on Cyber Warfare organised by the Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence and International Centre for Defence Studies. The Conference takes place for the first time and brings together experts from all over the world to Tallinn, Estonian National Opera.

"A year has passed since the centre of excellence here in Tallinn has started functioning and this conference is its first, publicly visible product. I sincerely hope that this becomes a positive tradition," said Mr Jaak Aaviksoo. "As a member of NATO, now for more than 5 years, Estonia has looked for issues and spheres of mutual concern, where we could contribute most influentially into our collective defence. Our own dependence on ICT solutions has made us vulnerable and logically leading us into building up a robust defense. This has enabled us to get some  valuable experience, hopefully, which will be found useful by other alliance members," added the Minister of Defence of Estonia.

"Current conference brings added value, because we're not analysing cyber defence as such, but we're concentrating on the influences it might have on the national security," stated the main organiser of the event Mr Kenneth Geers. "We are discussing both the strategic and tactical sides of the growing threat at this day and age," said Geers.

"Conference on Cyber Warfare is an important initiative from the centre's side, deriving from the discussions on the definitions of cyber warfare and from the analysis on everyday incidents, it is clear that the enhancement of cyber defence capabilities has to go hand in hand with cyber attacks evolvement," addad the Director of the CCD COE Col Lt Ilmar Tamm.

CCD COE is an International Military Organisation (IMO), fully accredited by NATO’s North Atlantic Council on the 28th of October, 2008.  CCD COE is located in Tallinn, Estonia on the premises of Estonian Signals Battalion.

Further information: Madis Tüür, Public Relations, Phone: +372 717 6811, Mobile: +372 5691 1224, madis.tyyrccdcoe.org, www.ccdcoe.org.