The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) has been selected to coordinate education and training solutions in the field of cyber-defense operations for all NATO bodies across the Alliance.
The CCDCOE is a NATO-affiliated knowledge hub based in Estonia, which counts 20 nations as members. Technically a military organization, it’s tasked with providing a 360-degree look at cyber-defense for the Allies, with expertise in the areas of technology, strategy, operations and law.
Its new role as head of Cyber Defence Operations Education and Training Discipline, was granted by the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), one of NATO’s two strategic commanders. The Centre will work closely with Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, VA, which heads up the NATO Education and Training department.
“We are honored to play a part in this new challenge. Investing in training and education is probably the best kind of commitment one can make,” said Merle Maigre, director of CCDOE. “The returns are huge, though not always measurable 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.”
In addition to its new role, the CCDCOE is also home to the Tallinn Manual 2.0, a comprehensive guide on how international law applies to cyber-operations, and it organizes the world’s largest and most complex international technical live-fire cyber-defense exercise, Locked Shields.