Iceland becomes a member of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence

On May 16th, Iceland became a formal member of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) in Tallinn, Estonia. The Centre focuses on education, publication, research, and analysis in the areas of cyber defence and cyber security. Iceland’s flag was raised formally at the CCDCOE and Harald Aspelund, Iceland's Ambassador to Estonia delivered a speech during the ceremony.

The Centre of Excellence was established in 2008 to strengthen the capacity of its members to meet challenges in the field of cyber defence and cybersecurity. A total of 39 states are members of the Centre, both NATO member states and partner nations. 

"Through our membership of the CCDCOE, we are strengthening information sharing and collaboration with our key partners on cyber defence, while increasing our own knowledge and building capabilities at home. We have systematically been enhancing our participation in cooperation on hybrid threats, including through our membership of the CCDCOE and The European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats in Helsinki. Recent examples underline the importance of building capabilities and that robust cyber defence can make all the difference. Our participation is part of our policy to contribute to joint partnerships of NATO, not least in those areas where traditional military capabilities are not of primary importance." says Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs.

One of the main tasks of the CCDCOE is to provide expertise in the field of cyber defence research, training of experts and planning and execution of cyber defence exercises such as the recently held Locked Shields, which saw active participation from Icelandic experts, and the Cyber Coalition exercise, which will be held this fall. Currently one Icelandic expert works at the CCDCOE, focusing on developing collaborative projects and sharing information with key Icelandic institutions.  Membership of the CCDCOE was among the objectives of the Icelandic government's action plan on cyber security published last year. Further information on the CCDCOE can be found on the CCDCOEs website.