October 10, 2019
The Chief Information Officer/Deputy Chief of Staff, G6, of U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR), Brigadier General John Phillips, visited Estonia for the first time October 8-9. During his two-day stay in Estonia, he visited the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, met with counterparts from the Estonian military, and discussed areas of cooperation related to the upcoming DEFENDER-Europe 20 exercise.
On the occasion of his visit, Brigadier General Phillips noted, “Estonia is a valued NATO ally and an essential defense partner. U.S. Army Europe and Estonia are working together to advance communications interoperability between our countries. During my visit, I had the opportunity to see the great work being done at the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, which will help the alliance as a whole. It is vital our countries’ militaries are connected – personally, professionally, technically and tactically – to create stronger, more capable forces. We are committed to continuing this great relationship and together we will remain resolute and transparent in our goals of deterring conflict and helping to ensure peace in Europe. We are excited to work with our Estonian partners during the upcoming exercise DEFENDER-Europe 20 where we’ll further enhance the readiness and interoperability of our armies.”
The U.S. has provided more than $100 million in combined security assistance to Estonia over the last several years, and we conduct nearly 150 military-to-military engagements per year with over 60 of those taking place with U.S. personnel in Estonia.
