DULLES, Va., March 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Estonian Ministry of Defense and Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) have agreed to explore long-term collaboration in the area of cyber security.

Mikk Marran, Permanent Secretary of the Estonian Ministry of Defense, and Raytheon agreed on the collaborative arrangement during Marran's recent visit to Washington for talks with U.S. government and U.S. defense industry representatives on issues of bilateral defense cooperation. 

"Strong defense-industrial cooperation between the United States and Estonia is in our country's strategic interest," Marran added. "Raytheon is one of the most prominent global defense and aerospace companies, with expertise in providing integrated defense systems and state-of-the-art cyber security solutions. It's our privilege to collaborate with Raytheon Company."

"Raytheon has developed a very strong portfolio of national-scale cyber defense solutions that complement the investments and innovations made by Estonia in securing the cyber domain for its people," said David C. Wajsgras, President of Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services. "This collaboration will explore important new solutions within the critical domain of national cyber security."

Tom Vecchiolla, President of Raytheon International, Inc. met with Marran to discuss the collaborative arrangement. Afterwards, he commented that, "Combining Estonia's world class information technology infrastructure with Raytheon's cyber security expertise will result in new opportunities to address the most challenging cyber threats on a global scale. We anticipate significant and synergistic benefits through this unique collaboration." 

Representatives from Estonia's Ministry of Defense and Raytheon will meet in Tallinn to further define specific areas for cooperation. Initial efforts will focus on advancing industry partnerships and pursuing collaborative initiatives for further enhancing cyber defense capabilities for Estonia, Raytheon and others that seek advice and assistance.  

Estonia, a country of 1.3 million people and a member of the European Union and NATO, is a global pioneer in digital society, e-governance, and cyber security solutions. Estonia ranks second on the Freedom House Internet freedom index and fifth on the International Telecommunication Union's Global Cybersecurity Index. Estonia is a strong NATO ally, spending more than 2 percent of GDP on defense and contributing troops for international operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Middle East, Africa and Western Balkans. For more information about the Estonian Ministry of Defense, visit www.mod.gov.ee 

About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2014 sales of $23 billion and 61,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, security and civil markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 93 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as cyber security and a broad range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @raytheon.

Media Contacts
Jason Kello
+1.571.250.1428
iispr@raytheon.com

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SOURCE Raytheon Company