Today marked a transition in NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence leadership as Tõnis Saar succeeded Dr Mart Noorma as the Director of the Centre during a change of command ceremony in Tallinn, Estonia.
“The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence brings together 39 nations to jointly raise their cyber defence capabilities and face increasingly complex cyberattacks as a coalition. The demand for the Centre’s services continues to increase. My goal is to continue the excellent work and lead the organisation through its next steps of development to remain relevant and meet the needs of NATO and our member nations,” said the Centre’s new Director, Tõnis Saar.
“The number of cyberattacks worldwide shows no signs of decreasing, and the cyber domain is playing an increasingly important role in warfare, which we can also see in the war in Ukraine. It has been a privilege to work with a team of the best cyber professionals to help ensure that 1 billion citizens of our member nations are better protected against cyber threats,” said Mart Noorma.
Major General Rainer Beeck, Deputy Chief of Staff Cyberspace Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) and Commander NATO CIS Group said in his speech: „There are real threats to the Alliance every day. The growing sophistication of cyber attacks makes the protection of the Alliance’s communication and information systems an urgent task. It is imperative for the Alliance to maintain agile and resilient communication capabilities, integrating cutting-edge technologies and fostering real time information sharing. The CCDCOE and the SHAPE Cyberspace Directorate will continue to strengthen cyber security and all Allies”.
Siim Sukles, Undersecretary for Defence Industry and Innovation at the Estonian Ministry of Defence, expressed gratitude to the outgoing Director Mart Noorma for his outstanding leadership and welcomed the new Director Tõnis Saar, who assumes responsibility at a time when the Centre’s role is more crucial than ever. „The NATO Centre of Excellence has become the largest in terms of participating nations, clearly demonstrating the value it brings to its members and to the Alliance as a whole. The Centre’s flagship exercise, Locked Shields, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, has become the gold standard for cyber defence readiness. What began as a bold experiment is now the world’s largest cyber defence exercise,“ said Sukles.
The Estonian Ministry of Defence awarded Mart Noorma the Third Class of the Cross of Merit.
At the change of command ceremony, Mart Noorma handed over the Centre’s flag to the new director, symbolically marking the transfer of leadership.
Tõnis Saar has served in public administration for over 20 years, most recently as Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs. He has previously served as Director at the National Audit Office and as Undersecretary for Administrative Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in business administration from Tallinn University of Technology and a Master’s degree in management from Cass Business School, City University of London.
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