Overview
- The new Military Intelligence Services consolidates Royal Navy, British Army, RAF, UK Space Command and Permanent Joint Headquarters units under Cyber and Specialist Operations Command, led by Chief of Defence Intelligence General Sir Jim Hockenhull.
- A new Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit unifies specialists to disrupt espionage and protect sensitive capabilities including the nuclear deterrent, advanced technology programmes and critical infrastructure, with closer links to UK agencies and NATO partners.
- The Ministry of Defence reports hostile intelligence activity against Defence rose by more than 50% in the past year, citing cyberattacks, satellite disruption, threats to shipping lanes and disinformation that affect daily life and national infrastructure.
- Ministers Al Carns and Louise Sandher-Jones launched the organisations at RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire, a key Five Eyes fusion site handling top-secret intelligence.
- Supporting measures include a Defence Intelligence Academy for training in cyber, space and geospatial disciplines, alongside efforts to address workforce shortfalls and accelerate implementation.