UK to join Nato cyber-defence centre in 2013

The UK is to join the Nato Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence this year, Prime Minister David Cameron has said.

The Nato Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence is an international military organisation located in Tallinn, Estonia, which was set up in May 2008 to enhance Nato's cyber-defence capability and train Nato's civilian and military staff in cyber-defence techniques.

"David Cameron was pleased to tell [Estonian] Prime Minister Andrus Ansip personally during his visit to London that the UK has decided to join formally the Nato Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence," said British ambassador to Estonia, Chris Holtby, in a statement on Tuesday. "The UK will send an expert, as well as continue the wider cooperation between the UK and the centre which already exists. The UK values strongly the work of the centre, and looks forward to increasing our contribution to its important work."

Once the UK is a member of the centre, "it will be able to participate fully in the conceptual research and development work that takes place there and will allow the UK some say in its future direction," a Ministry of Defence spokesperson told ZDNet.

France and Turkey have also announced plans to join the centre in 2013, according to the centre, while Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, the Netherlands, and the US are already members.

"Having UK joining as one of the sponsoring nations of the centre is something that we see as a confirmation to our successes and to the high quality of research being done here," Colonel Artur Suzik, director of the centre, said in a statement. "We are looking forward to the cooperation, the ideas, and expertise that will be added to the centre soon."