Estonia, Infosecurity notes, has become a future microcosm of the world's internet resources today, because of the Internet-savviness of the population, and the fact that most of the nation's businesses are reliant on the internet to conduct their business.

Infosecurity also notes that the Estonian Ministry of Defence has been working on a cyber warfare and defence strategy for several years and, in 2007, the Government officially created an arm of its military called - appropriately enough - the e-military.

The aim of the Estonian FBI Internet presence, says assistant director Shawn Henry, is to further the country's status as a centre of IT security excellence.

The placement will also represent the first time that the FBI is placing an agent outside the USA whose focus will purely be on cybercrime.

Henry this week told reporters that Estonia was chosen because of its expertise in IT, its well-developed computer infrastructure and the government's commitment to fight computer crime.

According to Henry, the FBI is also planning to work with a NATO cyber-defence centre that was established in Estonia last year.