A NATO cyber defense organization welcomed four new member nations June 13: Bulgaria, Denmark, Norway, and Romania. The Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) is a NATO-accredited international military organization that specializes in cyber defense in technology, strategy, operations, and law. The membership of the new nations to CCDCOE was celebrated with a flag raising ceremony. “The fact that more and more nations are joining up to actively contribute to cyber security reflects the need to improve capabilities in the cyber domain,” Col Tarien, director of the multinational interdisciplinary hub of cyber defense expertise, said in a press release. “Increased global connectivity and technological development means that we have to be ready for any type of cyber threat and bring our capabilities up to date. Tackling cyber threats that our democracies are facing demand expert knowledge and skills, which are reinforced by close cooperation between Allies and Partners.” Founded in 2008, the cyber center began with seven members. Now the organization has 25 members and expects to expand Japan, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Switzerland are all in the process of joining the center, according to a press release.
Bulgaria, Denmark, Norway and Romania have become new members of NATO's Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence. The center is a joint effort between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and NATO to improve cyber defense for all member nations through information sharing, sharing threat data and analysis, and training exercises.