New MI6 chief to warn of ‘rising Russian menace’ and UK should take new steps
There is set to be a firm warning by MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli, who will highlight the importance of the ‘mastery of technology’ in her first public speech since her appointment
With the ongoing antics from Russia, Metreweli will make it clear that technology should be the UK’s focus, in what will be her first speech since her naming as MI6 chief in June.
It’s set to be a stark choice of words on Russia’s growing presence from the 48-year-old, and ultimately, the goal is to get the message of cutting-edge technology out there.
Metreweli will soon make it clear that the “front line is everywhere” with an obvious outline of her vision being made amid the war in Ukraine, as the talk is set to take place at Britain’s foreign intelligence headquarters.
Another objective from the speech is to highlight the danger of Vladimir Putin’s “aggressive” plans as president of Russia. These plans are set to also see Russia described as “expansionist and revisionist” with the threats continuing to grow.
“Putin should be in no doubt, our support is enduring. The pressure we apply on Ukraine’s behalf will be sustained,” Metreweli will say. “The export of chaos is a feature, not a bug, in the Russian approach to international engagement, and we should be ready for this to continue until Putin is forced to change his calculus.”
Forms of encompassing sabotage, technological interference, and misinformation campaigns could rise to the surface, and the MI6 chief will have a clear strategy in place.
But out of all the options at her disposal, she will maintain that the UK is already mobilising technology to combat the potential challenges that could be faced from Putin.
It’s stated that Metreweli will insist that “Mastery of technology must infuse everything” the UK do. Adding to this, she will say: “Not just in our labs, but in the field, in our tradecraft, and even more importantly, in the mindset of every officer.
“We must be as comfortable with lines of code as we are with human sources, as fluent in Python as we are in multiple languages.”
Upon this, she will also explain how her agency’s efforts complement the recent sanctions imposed on Russian firms and individuals by the Foreign Office.
The speech follows Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper’s unveiling of a raft of sanctions targeting entities associated with Russia’s military intelligence agency, and disinformation propagated by the Kremlin.
There have been plenty of warnings heading the UK’s way, and it’s clear that Metreweli is putting her foot down, making technology the forefront of the intelligence’s approach.
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