DVIDS – News – Finland and US deepen cyber defense cooperation

Finland is deepening bilateral cooperation with the United States in the field of cyber defense. Military leaders from both countries approved and signed a letter of intent on an advanced cyber partnership on January 24, 2024, during an official ceremony in Finland’s capital Helsinki.

The event was hosted by Major General Kari Nisla, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations of the Finnish Defense Forces. Deputy Director of U.S. European Force Plans and Operations, U.S. Air Force Brig. General James Crete served as the U.S. military’s senior representative for the event.

“Cyber ​​threats do not respect traditional borders, which is why we need international partners to build security,” Nisra said. “Cooperation with the United States will definitely strengthen Finland’s defense capabilities in this field and create a solid foundation for effective combined cyber defense. We are very satisfied with this agreement with USEUCOM. doing.”

International cooperation is essential in the global cyber operational environment. The Finnish Defense Forces actively participates in international cooperation and exercises in accordance with the National Cybersecurity Strategy and its own action plan. Cooperation takes place multilaterally and bilaterally.

The United States is a close bilateral partner with Finland and is now also a NATO ally. The two countries will sign a defense cooperation agreement in December 2023, which will further deepen the partnership between the two militaries and enable cohesive cooperation in all security situations. Defense cooperation with the United States has already existed for decades, and the two countries have also conducted joint planning and training to combat cyber threats for many years.

This statement of intent is based on a shared vision to develop cyber defenses that address the growing threats in today’s world. It fosters cooperation on five initiatives: policy, interoperability, training, capacity building, and cyber operations. Continuously improving cooperation in these areas will help advance the Finland-US partnership even further.

Senior military officials from both sides who signed the agreement emphasized the importance of international cooperation in cyber defense against the backdrop of the current security environment.

“The European theater faces increasingly aggressive neighboring competitors and a significantly expanded hybrid threat environment, posing significant risks to the alliance,” said U.S. General Crete. “Together with our NATO allies and partners, especially Finland, we must be resilient and able to resist and recover from attacks in the cyberspace domain. Necessary to prevent deterioration of critical systems and networks.”