New navy intelligence service launched as threats to UK surge
The new Military Intelligence Services will speed up how information is shared across the forces, and comes amid escalating threats to the UK from cyber-attacks
Defence Secretary John Healey is launching a new military intelligence services body as hostile threats surge.
The overhaul will bring together units from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force, with the new Military Intelligence Services (MIS) speeding up how information is gathered and shared across the forces. It comes amid escalating threats to the UK from cyber-attacks, disinformation and threats to global shipping lanes.
Following the recommendations in the Strategic Defence Review, the reforms bring every intelligence unit and organisation within Defence under one organisation for the first time, to crack down on threats to Britain.
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To boost Defence’s resilience further, the UK Government has also launched the new Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit (DCIU).
This comes with hostile intelligence activity against the MOD rising by more than 50%, revealing just how quickly Britain’s enemies are intensifying their efforts.
Mr Healey said: “As threats increase, we are making defence intelligence smarter. This Government is delivering the recommendations in the Strategic Defence Review, putting Britain at the leading edge of military innovation.
“For intelligence, this means cutting-edge technology, clearer structures and faster data flows. This gives us sharper insights into what our adversaries might do next, so we protect our forces, safeguard critical infrastructure, and deter changing threats.
“Our intelligence work is usually unseen but always essential. I am grateful to all our Military Intelligence Services personnel whose round-the-clock vigilance keeps the UK secure at home and strong abroad.”
This major overhaul of Defence’s intelligence organisations comes amid increasing threats to the UK in what ministers say will keep Britain ahead of hostile states and terrorists. It will be supported by the new Defence Intelligence Academy who offer world-class training in key intelligence disciplines such as cyber, space and geospatial analysis.
General Sir Jim Hockenhull, Commander of the Cyber and Specialist Operations Command, said: “Intelligence sits at the heart of defence. Underpinning everything we do, it provides the insight and foresight we need and enables our operations.
“In an increasingly complex and volatile world where threats are always evolving, our intelligence operations are always on, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
It comes one week after the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry was published, which made clear that foreign intelligence services are now operating far beyond traditional spy norms, targeting defence personnel, technology programmes, and supply chains.
