Greece, Turkey Join NATO Cyber Defense Center
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Finland, Greece and Turkey finalised their accession process to the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCD COE). The Greek Republic and the Republic of Turkey joined as sponsoring nations and the Republic of Finland as a contributing participant.
The ceremony marking the finalization of the three countries’ accession to NATO’s cyber defense agency was held on Tuesday and was attended by CCDCOE Director Sven Sakkov, Turkish Ambassador to Estonia Hayriye Kumaşçıoğlu, Permanent Secretary of the Finnish Ministry of Defense Gen. Arto Raty and Greek Ambassador to Estonia Constantine Catsambis.
Speaking at the ceremony, Sakkov highlighted that the cyber field has turned into a domain of warfare next to land, sea, air and space.
“The fact that the membership of the center is expanding, shows the growing importance of cyber defense. Cyber has evolved into a domain of warfare next to land, sea, air and space. It has changed our lives and will change warfare,” he said. The NATO cyber defense center helps nations prepare for this future, Sakkov explained.
“Cyber poses a new global challenge that no nation can face alone. It is touching to see our flag fly side by side with so many others,” said Gen. Arto Raty. Finland contributes to the center because networking and cooperation are the only way to assure effective cyber defense, Räty added.
The Tallinn-based NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence is a NATO-accredited knowledge hub, think-tank and training facility. The international military organisation focuses on interdisciplinary applied research and development, as well as consultations, trainings and exercises in the field of cyber security. The center’s mission is to enhance capability, cooperation and information-sharing between NATO, allies and partners in cyber defence.
Membership of the center is open to all allied nations. The Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the USA have signed on as sponsoring nations. Austria and Finland have joined the center as contributing participants. The center is funded and staffed jointly by these nations.
