The Jair Bolsonaro government tries to associate itself with a cyber defense center linked to NATO. The US-led military alliance is at the heart of Russia’s alleged motives for the war in Ukraine.
Last year, Brazil instructed its embassies in member countries of the CCDCOE (Centre of Excellence for Cooperative Cyber ​​Defense) to consult with the respective host governments whether a candidacy from Brazil would be well accepted.
According to Itamaraty interlocutors, although it has received some positive responses from nations seen as central to the organization, all the full members have not yet responded to Brazilian nods. experts heard by sheet said, on condition of anonymity, that the delay of some members in sending a response shows resistance to the request. But government officials involved in the negotiations deny that there is opposition to a possible candidacy from the country.
It takes unanimity from the full members of the center for a country to be able to join. The body was created in 2008 and is based in Tallinn, Estonia. In addition to NATO accreditation, the center has international military organization status. The establishment of a cyber defense framework within NATO gained momentum after attacks on Estonian public organizations and banks in 2007.
At the time, country officials even suggested that Russia could be behind the attacks.
Not being a member of NATO, Brazil could join the center as a “contributing partner”—or collaborating partner, the same status given to partners such as Finland, Sweden and South Korea. Full membership of the cyber defense center is only allowed to countries that are part of the military alliance.
One of the main Brazilian interests with the movement is to gain broad access to cyber defense exercises, including Locked Shields. The trainings simulate hacker attacks against a country’s critical infrastructure and allow the training of specialized personnel in defense and counter-attack strategies in a digital environment.
Today, Brazil only has access to these trainings if invited by a member of the CCDCOE — which, in the case of Locked Shields, occurred in the past at the initiative of Portugal and Spain.
In the government, there is an assessment that the country is still below the information security capabilities needed in the current world. The gap exists not only in comparison with powers like the US, Russia and China, but also in relation to Europeans. For this reason, Brazilian military personnel working on the subject began to defend the search for centers of excellence abroad.
Currently, the Army maintains a cyber defense center in the country.
The topic gained even more relevance with the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, since the clashes on the front are accompanied by elements of the so-called hybrid war: hacking and disinformation offensives undertaken against adversaries.
Among the members of NATO’s cyber defense center are the US, UK, Belgium, Italy, France, Germany and Turkey. Resistance from full members of the association is not the only obstacle to an eventual candidacy by Brazil. Interlocutors told the sheet that, with the current situation in Eastern Europe, the officialization of a candidacy should only occur after a new political analysis.
That’s because the country’s connection to a NATO-accredited structure could signal support for the military alliance in the confrontation — breaking the position of independence that Bolsonaro has argued to maintain, despite votes against Moscow at the United Nations.
The armed conflict has already reflected in the center’s work. In early March, the organization announced that Ukraine would be accepted as a collaborating partner.
Asked about Brazil’s ambitions, Itamaraty stated that interest in an association with the NATO center is still being evaluated by the government. The chancellery stressed, however, that the association with the CCDCOE would enable “institutional training, by diversifying the interaction with reference countries in the matter and reinforcing the presence in forums on international peace and security in cyberspace”.
“Currently, Brazil participates in exercises such as Locked Shields at the invitation of partners. If it becomes an associate, the country will be able to participate in this exercise independently. The center also offers several courses, many of them exclusive to associates”, stated the folder.
“[O CCDCOE] is a global and interdisciplinary reference in cyber defense, dedicated to research, training and exercises in the areas of technology, strategy, operations and legislation.”
