Finland’s Chief of Finnish Defense Command said his country needs more cyber defense experts with more international cooperation while visiting a NATO cyber center on Thursday.
“Finland is building up its cyber defense capability and we need the most knowledgeable people,” Vice Adm. Kari Takanen said in a statement while visiting the Tallinn-based NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE).
He highlighted that international cooperation, like Finland’s participation at the CCDCOE, is essential in training experts to counter hybrid threats.
“Threats in cyberspace are real and it is rightfully becoming a domain of warfare. This means nations have to focus on operational issues in the digital space and laws often need to catch up with events on the ground,” Takanen added.
In the visit, Takenen was briefed on the activities of the center, including exercises and the Tallinn Manual on applicability of international law to the cyber area. During the visit he reaffirmed Finland’s commitment to participating in the CCDCOE, including the continued staffing of two Finnish experts.
Finland is a contributing participant of the CCDCOE and Finnish experts are integrated into the center’s activities, Lt.Col. Nestor Ganuza, Chief of the Exercises and Training Branch at the center, said.
“In particular, their input to several operational level research projects and continued support of the world’s largest international live-fire cyber defense exercise Locked Shields is remarkable,” Ganuza said in a statement.
The CCDCOE is a NATO-accredited knowledge hub based that focuses on interdisciplinary applied research and development concerning cyber security. It includes consultations, training, and information-sharing among NATO members, allies, and partners in cyber defense.
Austria along with Finland are the two contributing participants of the CCDCOE, the status available for non-NATO countries.