Australia joins NATO cyber centre

The federal government has announced that Australia will become a participating member NATO's Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE), based in Tallinn, Estonia.

The government has opened Australia’s first pop-up embassy in the city, which will have a temporary 12-month presence, to support Australia joining the cyber warfare research centre.

The new centre is a multinational hub of cyber defence expertise. An ADF member will be seconded to the centre for three months of each year to support Australia’s involvement in the centre.

Australia is also observing the world’s largest cyber defence exercise, Locked Shields, which is taking place at the CCDCOE this week.

“Australia welcomes the opportunity to deepen engagement with the world-leading cyber defence experts at the NATO CCDCOE,” Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in a statement.

“Now, more than ever, we must engage with the international community to set clear expectations for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace. The international rules-based order applies online, just as it does offline.”

The government is also providing funding through the Cyber Cooperation Program aimed at increasing digital service delivery among governments in the Indo–Pacific region. The program will be jointly delivered by the Estonia E-Governance Academy and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

These policies form part of the government’s International Cyber Engagement Strategy, which was announced in October last year.

Image courtesy CCDCOE.

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