cyber command, which like the U.S. version is
part of the country’s military.
While nothing malicious was found on the
networks during the exercise, “what we did
learn is how the U.S. conducts these kinds of
operations, which is definitely useful for us
because there are a lot of kind of capability
developments that we are doing right now,” said
Mihkel Tikk, a deputy commander in Estonia’s
Cyber Command.
Tikk added: “In some areas, it is wise to learn
from others than having to reinvent the wheel.”
Hartman declined to discuss specifics of the
operation but said the networks in Estonia were
“very well defended.”
“I don’t want anyone to leave here with the
impression that Estonian networks were full of
adversary activity from a broad range of nation
states” because that is not the case, he added.
Gen. Paul Nakasone, the commander of
Cyber Command and the director of the
National Security Agency, has hinted at a more
aggressive, proactive federal government
approach to cyber threats.
In an August piece for Foreign Affairs
magazine, for instance, Nakasone wrote
that U.S cyber fighters have moved away
from a “reactive, defensive posture” and are
increasingly engaging in combat with foreign
adversaries online.
Cyber Command has worked in past years with
countries including Montenegro and North
Macedonia on similar missions. Estonian officials
say they believe the partnership could be a
deterrent to countries such as Russia.