Cooperation between the cyber defense unit of the Estonian Kaitseliit (Defense League) and the cyber unit of the Maryland National Guard was discussed during a meeting on Thursday between Kaitseliit commander Brig. Gen. Meelis Kiili and the commander of the Maryland National Guard, Maj. Gen. James A. Adkins.
"If in many areas Estonia has taken the experience of the United States as example and learned from it, then cyber defense is an area where Americans can learn from Estonia's experience," Brig. Gen. Kiili, who is in the United States on a working visit lasting until Sunday, said according to spokespeople for Kaitseliit.
It was decided to send cyber defense specialists to each other's training events in the future, the commander of the Estonian volunteer corps said.
Brig. Gen. Kiili on Thursday read a public lecture at Maryland's Salisbury University, which is engaged in intense cooperation with both the University of Tartu and Tallinn University and where a program in cyber defense is planned to be launched with Estonia's help. The lecture's audience mainly consisted of students about to go to Estonia under a one-semester student exchange arrangement.
Brig. Gen. Kiili also met with Estonian helicopter pilots Capt. Martin Noorsalu and Capt. Rene Kallis, who started service at the Combat Aviation Brigade of the Maryland National Guard under a Estonian-US cooperation program in the summer of 2011. Together with the same unit the Estonian pilots were deployed in Afghanistan during five months in 2012 and are now continuing their service as pilots and staff officers with the National Guard until July 2014.
The purpose of the visit of the Kaitseliit chief is to reaffirm cooperation ties between Kaitseliit and the Maryland National Guard and to present Kaitseliit to a wider auditorium.
This year 20 years will pass since the start of cooperation between Kaitseliit and the Maryland National Guard.