Cyber Diplomacy in Action: The Tallinn Mechanism with Ambassador Tanel Sepp

Cyber Focus

In this episode of Cyber Focus, host Frank Cilluffo sits down with Tanel Sepp, Estonia’s Ambassador at Large for Cyber Diplomacy. They explore how Estonia emerged as a cyber superpower despite its small size, the significance of the Tallinn Mechanism in cyber defense, and the evolving role of cyber in warfare. Tanel shares personal insights from his extensive diplomatic career and discusses the lessons learned from Estonia’s experiences and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Main Topics:

• Estonia’s Rise as a Cyber Superpower
• The Tallinn Mechanism: Origins and Implementation
• Role of Cyber in Modern Warfare
• The Future of Cyber Defense and International Cooperation

Key Quotes:

“We are [a] leading nation in terms of the e-services, e-governance and the penetration of the services amongst the population.” - Tanel Sepp

"The Tallinn Mechanism has truly become one and unique channel for cyber assistance for Ukraine." - Tanel Sepp

“The time to be thinking about this is not when the bomb goes off, not in the midst of a crisis. It's well before.” - Frank Cilluffo

"One of the main conclusions or kind of initial lessons identified from [the war in Ukraine] is that physical war still matters. Cyber has had a major role. And I believe that's that, for the first time, cyber has been fully integrated into military activity.” – Tanel Sepp

" Cyber security now has also gained physical dimension because at the beginning of this war, you also had Russians targeting Ukrainian data centers kinetically. So you also need to really think about physical security” - Tanel Sepp

“This war is showing a kind of tectonic change in terms of engaging with the private sector and the role of private sector.” - Tanel Sepp
Tanel Sepp is Estonia’s Ambassador at Large for Cyber Diplomacy. With a career spanning multiple diplomatic posts including the United States, Afghanistan, and Ethiopia, he has led cyber policy efforts at Estonia’s Ministry of Defense and played a key role in the development of the Tallinn Mechanism. Tanel is a leading voice in international cyber defense and digital diplomacy.

Relevant Links and Resources:

• Talinn Mechanism Formalization
• Estonia’s E-Governance Academy
• Council on Foreign Relations