The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has launched the Military Intelligence Services (MIS); and a Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit (DCIU) to combat hostile intelligence activity against the MoD.
Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, 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.”
About MIS
Military Intelligence Services bring together intelligence units from the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, UK Space Command, and Permanent Joint Headquarters; under the command of the Cyber and Specialist Operations Command, and the leadership of the Chief of Defence Intelligence. A new Defence Intelligence Academy will offer training in intelligence disciplines such as cyber, space and geospatial analysis. The MoD pointed to the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry, published last week, arising from the Skripal poisoning by Russian agents in Salisbury in 2018; that the Russian intelligence services are operating beyond traditional espionage norms.
Berlin speech
Meanwhile, speaking in Berlin, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (pictured, courtesy of NATO) said that ‘conflict is at our door’. He said: “Russia has brought war back to Europe, and we must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured. Imagine it, a conflict reaching every home, every workplace, destruction, mass mobilisation, millions displaced, widespread suffering and extreme losses. It is a terrible thought, but if we deliver on our commitments, this is a tragedy we can prevent.”
Earlier, he said that Russia is already escalating its covert campaign against NATO societies. He said: “Russia’s list of targets for sabotage is not limited to critical infrastructure, the defence industry, and military facilities. There have been attacks on commercial warehouses and shopping centres, and explosives hidden in parcels, and Poland is now investigating sabotage against its railway network. This year we have seen reckless airspace violations by Russia. Whether it is drones over Poland and Romania, or fighter jets over Estonia, such incidents put lives in danger and raise the risk of escalation.”
Mr Rutte, who became NATO Secretary General last year, reminded his audience that he ‘warned that what is happening in Ukraine could happen to Allied countries too and that we had to shift to a wartime mindset’.
Comment
On the website of the defence and security think-tank RUSI, Calvin Bailey argued that ‘we are already in the initial phases of an extended conflict fought through digital, economic, political and societal pressure. If we fail to protect our state systems now, we may only realise that Russia has achieved paralysis at the moment we are required to react’. For the full comment visit the RUSI website. The think-tank recently hosted a ‘Long War’ conference, about how the UK and its allies can sustain conflict beyond the first battle.
Pipeline defence
Earlier this month, while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hosted Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Støre at RAF Lossiemouth in north-eastern Scotland, under the Lunna House Agreement the Royal Navy and Royal Norwegian Navy will operate an inter-changeable fleet of British-built Type-26 frigates. Sir Keir said: “At this time of profound global instability, as more Russian ships are being detected in our waters, we must work with international partners to protect our national security. This historic agreement with Norway strengthens our ability to protect our borders and the critical infrastructure our nations depend on.” The aims: to monitor Russian naval activity and defend critical infrastructure such as underwater cables and pipelines, which carry communications, electricity and gas. The two countries will carry out joint wargaming.
