Minister Burke marks Ireland’s entry into the Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence
Press release
16 May 2023Minister of State for European Affairs and for Defence, Peter Burke, TD, has officially marked Ireland’s entry into the Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE).
The Estonia-based centre is a multinational cyber defence hub with a total membership of 38 nations from across the world, both NATO and non-NATO members, with member states ranging geographically from Iceland to Australia. It allows members to work together and to pool knowledge to combat the threat of cyber-crime and enhance cyber defence.
Membership of the Centre also allowing Ireland to avail of important training opportunities in the cyber area and Ireland has seconded a member of the Defence Forces to the Centre.
Other nations officially joining today were Iceland, Japan and Ukraine.
Minister Burke said:
“Ireland’s membership of this organisation, and the cooperation and learnings which have flowed from it, are an important part of our developing cyber security capacity.
“A lot has happened over recent years, both in the world, as in cyber space. We have witnessed Russia’s brutal and unprovoked act of aggression against Ukraine. In Ireland we have seen the effects of cyber-attacks, including the attack on our health service in 2021. Simply put, our world is being transformed in a way that only reinforces the need to work together with our friends.
“In our case, the digital age has been transformative, allowing an island at the west coast of Europe to connect to the rest of the world - but this is not without risk. The digital highway from Ireland to the rest of the world also provides a route for malicious cyber activity.
“Ireland understands the urgent need to work collectively to defend against the effects of malicious cyber activity. The Centre of Excellence provides an important platform for cooperation. Being an active member of the Centre strengthens Ireland’s cyber resilience and supports capacity-building through the sharing of expertise and access to training and exercises.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
- The Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence is a NATO-accredited hub focused on interdisciplinary applied research and development, as well as training and exercises in cooperative cyber defence. Its objective is to provide training and guidance on strengthening participating states’ cybersecurity.
- The Centre was founded in 2008 with seven founding members, it now has 38 member nations. These include all NATO countries (except North Macedonia) as ‘Sponsoring Nations’; and eight like-minded non-NATO nations (Austria, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and Ireland) as ‘Contributing Participants’.
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