The European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE) is an autonomous, network-based international expert organization dedicated to addressing hybrid threats and promoting a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to countering them.
Participation in the Centre’s activities is open to all EU and NATO countries, and the number of Participating States has grown to include all 36 EU and NATO member states.
The autonomous Centre is unique in that it is the only actor that enables the EU and NATO to work on hybrid threats and conduct exercises together, with activities covering a wide range of domains, from civil to military and from hostile influencing to hybrid warfare. The Centre’s work is planned and coordinated by the Hybrid CoE Secretariat, located in Helsinki, Finland.
Hybrid CoE’s mission
Hybrid CoE’s mission is to enhance the security of its 36 Participating States, the European Union, and NATO by providing expertise, training and networks to counter hybrid threats. This includes sharing best practices, providing recommendations, as well as testing new ideas and approaches.
Hybrid CoE not only crafts new strategic concepts but also helps to implement them. Excellence is achieved through the Centre’s cross-governmental, cross-sectoral networks, which consist of over 3,000 practitioners and experts working in the Participating States, the EU and NATO, the private sector, and academia.
Hybrid CoE’s vision
The Centre’s vision is to be the principal expert organization in the field of countering hybrid threats, leading the discussion and supporting its stakeholders in the Euro-Atlantic area.
Hybrid CoE shapes the conversation on hybrid threats through research and the exchange of best practices, for example by organizing and contributing to various events, producing a wide range of publications, and engaging with various partners and stakeholders in the field.
Hybrid CoE’s values
Hybrid CoE’s core values are excellence, integrity and respect.
Activities
The Communities of Interest (COIs) and teams, managed by the Secretariat, comprise networks of practitioners from the Participating States, as well as from the EU and NATO. The aim is to provide a space for multinational and multidisciplinary sharing of best practices, experience, and expertise, as well as for coordinating actions, so that the Participating States and organizations can better understand and counter hybrid threats.
The Centre currently has three Communities of Interest (COIs): Hybrid Influence; Vulnerabilities and Resilience; and Strategy and Defence.
In addition, the Research and Analysis team supports the Centre’s work by advancing academic research and debate on relevant topics. It hosts a comprehensive network of academic experts.
The Training and Exercises team plans and facilitates tabletop and experimental exercises involving different hybrid threat scenarios, acting as an enabler and implementer.
Hybrid CoE also has teams dedicated to communications, international relations, and administration.
Read more about Hybrid CoE’s activities in 2025 here.
The Hybrid CoE Secretariat
Hybrid CoE’s host country is Finland, and the Secretariat is located in the capital, Helsinki. The Centre has a legal personality under Finnish law and the capacity to perform its functions in the Republic of Finland in accordance with national legislation (unofficial translation), which entered into force on 1 July 2017.
The Secretariat, headed by Director Teija Tiilikainen, manages the Centre’s administration and general functions. The Secretariat is also responsible for preparing and organizing meetings of the Steering Board, as well as for cooperating and liaising with the Participating States, the EU and NATO, and for building and maintaining networks. Participating States can send employees on secondment to the Secretariat.
The Centre’s annual core budget amounts to 4.9 million euros. Approximately half of this is covered by host nation Finland, and the other half comes from participation fees paid by the 36 Participating States.
The Hybrid CoE Steering Board
The Steering Board, consisting of representatives of the Participating States, is the Centre’s principal decision-making body. Staff representatives from the EU and NATO are invited to attend Steering Board meetings.
The Steering Board establishes policies, adopts internal regulations, and approves the work programme, the budget and the accounts, the annual participation fees, and the admission of new Participating States. It also approves any guidance that may be necessary for the functioning of Hybrid CoE and its bodies.
The Steering Board is led by the current Chair, Mr Jarmo Lindberg.
