WASHINGTON, June 22, 2016 — Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO Jim Townsend and Estonian Ambassador to the United States Eerik Marmei signed an agreement today reinforcing cooperation in research, development, testing and evaluation activities between the Defense Department and the Estonian Defense Ministry.
“The agreement facilitates collaborative efforts to enhance defense capabilities across a wide spectrum of activities, including basic and applied research, advanced technology development, advanced component and prototype development, system development and demonstration, and evolutionary acquisition and spiral development,” said Henrietta Levin, a DoD spokesperson. “It also permits the establishment of working groups and the transfer of equipment and material to improve collaboration and innovation.”
“Estonia is renowned for its leadership in cybersecurity, e-governance, and innovation,” Levin said, “and is home to revolutionary communications companies and innovative defense-technology companies.”
Both Estonia and the United States expect this agreement to lead to mutually beneficial technological advances, she said.