The UK is to open a new Cyber and Electromagnetic (Cyber/EM) Defence unit and invest £1bn to ensure the country is prepared in the event of a cyber attack.
The announcement came as Defence Secretary John Healey today announced the measure which he said was vital to significantly improve the country’s cyber warfare capabilities against growing hostile state threats.
The new organisation will help protect UK military networks that are being attacked at a rising rate, according to reports of over 90,000 such incidents in the last two years. It will also be responsible for offensive cyber as part of the National Cyber Force in a single, integrated cyber defence capability.
One cornerstone of that ambitious plan: A “Digital Targeting Web” to link up complex, AI-enabled systems across land, sea, air, space and cyberspace. This network will substantially accelerate the ability to seek, find track and thwart threats. For example, a threat picked up by a satellite could immediately be communicated and countered by an F-35 fighter jet, a drone, or a cyber operation.
The Ministry of Defence wants to have this capability in place by 2027, and it is learning important lessons from warfare in Ukraine, where rapid digital targeting has been a key factor.
Alongside a push for new technology, the effort involves a major effort to recruit the best internet bloodhounds. A new “Cyber Direct Entry” will provide accelerated careers for specialists, with starting salaries of more than £40,000 and potential bonuses totalling £25,000 based on skills.
This force is expected to draw from talent with experience in operational cyberspace skills in a manner similar to that of the infantry or aviation without a requirement for direct participation of the initial recruiting population in combat roles.
“The character of warfare is evolving and the keyboard has become a weapon of war,” said Defence Secretary Healey. This £1 billion investment and the new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command will ensure that we protect our national security in both this new digital age and against more traditional threats for decades to come.”
Lessons from Ukraine With the skirmish in Ukraine in mind, the war college “needs to be better connected, better equipped, and innovating faster than our adversaries,” he added.
The creation of this specialist cyber command and the prioritisation of high level digital capabilities are major steps in the UK’s approach to defending our security and asserting influence in an ever more complex and uncertain world.
The emphasis on defensive and offensive cyber capabilities and on attracting and retaining the best staff, is a clear statement of intent that we are investing in staying ahead of the fast-changing and growing digital threats.
