Senators John McCain (R-Ariz.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), and Sheldom Whitehouse (D-R.I.) discussed cybersecurity during a visit to the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia on Friday.
The senators emphasized the need to understand one’s adversary in the context of cybersecurity as a part of national defense, the center said in a statement.
Photo: NATO.
In addition to accounting for foreseeable actions by other parties when developing NATO capabilities, “current capacities, future of cyber warfare, and international norms governing the sector were talked about,” the NATO center said.
The senators took interest in exercises that help countries prepare for a variety of cyber incidents. They especially focused on American participation in Locked Shields, the largest international live fire technical defense exercise, NATO said. This exercise is organized annually by the NATO cyber center.
The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence is a NATO-accredited knowledge hub based in Tallinn, Estonia that focuses on interdisciplinary applied research and development. It includes consultations, trainings, and information-sharing among NATO, allies, and partners in cyber defense.
While in Tallinn the senators met with the Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and released a statement calling on Russia to release Eston Kohver, an Estonian anti-smuggling border police officer allegedly abducted from Estonia at the Russian border by Russian operatives last year. Russia claims Kohver was spying on the Russian side of the border and recently sentenced him to 15 years in prison.