Tag: Ministry of Defence

Established in 2020, the National Cyber Force (NCF) is a partnership between GCHQ and the Ministry of Defence which carries out cyber operations on a daily basis to protect against threats to the UK, further the UK’s foreign policy, support military operations, and prevent serious crime.

Following the publication of the Government’s Integrated Review Refresh (IRR) last month, the publication of a new document titled ‘NCF: Responsible Cyber Power in Practice’ today delivers on the commitment in the IRR to be as transparent as possible about the NCF’s cyber capabilities and provide clarity on how the UK acts as a responsible and democratic cyber power.

The UK is reiterating its commitment to international stability and security, and illustrating how states can act responsibly in cyberspace through demonstrating how the NCF’s operations are accountable, precise and calibrated. This contrasts with the reckless and indiscriminate activities of those who would do harm to the UK and its allies.

All of the NCF’s operations are conducted in a legal and ethical manner, in line with domestic and international law and our national values. The operations are based on a deep understanding of the cyber environment, which enables NCF to design, time and target them with precision.

Central to the NCF’s approach is the ‘doctrine of cognitive effect’ – using techniques that have the potential to sow distrust, decrease morale, and weaken our adversaries’ abilities to plan and conduct their activities effectively. This can include preventing terrorist groups from publishing pieces of extremist media online or making it harder for states to use the internet to spread disinformation by affecting their perception of the operating environment.

The NCF’s work is covert and we therefore do not reveal details of individual operations. Indeed the intent is sometimes that adversaries do not realise that the effects they are experiencing are the result of a cyber operation. This ambiguity can help to amplify the cognitive effect.

Despite the necessary level of secrecy, in line with our commitment to being a responsible cyber actor, we have disclosed that over the last three years the NCF has delivered operations to:

• protect military deployments overseas;
• disrupt terrorist groups;
• counter sophisticated, stealthy and continuous cyber threats;
• counter state disinformation campaigns;
• reduce the threat of external interference in democratic elections; and
• remove child sexual abuse material from public spaces online.

Through ‘NCF: Responsible Cyber Power in Practice’, the UK is reiterating its commitment to international stability and security, and illustrating how states can act responsibly in cyberspace, in line with domestic and international law.

Director GCHQ, Sir Jeremy Fleming, said:

In an increasingly volatile and interconnected world, to be a truly responsible cyber power, nations must be able to contest and compete with adversaries in cyberspace. In the UK, the National Cyber Force complements the UK’s world class cyber resilience to give the country operational cyber capabilities at the scale needed to protect our free, open, and peaceful society.

Building upon two decades of experience, the dynamic new partnership has countered state threats, made key contributions to military operations, and disrupted terrorist cells and serious criminals including child sex offenders.

With the threat growing and the stakes higher than ever before, we hope this document provides a benchmark for the UK’s approach and a basis for like-minded governments to come together internationally to establish a shared vision and values for the responsible use of cyber operations.

General Sir Jim Hockenhull, Commander of Strategic Command, said:

The National Cyber Force is a crucial tool in our integrated approach to national security and our defence of the UK.

Working across Government and with our international allies is vital. There is a power in partnerships, and we must go further to out-cooperate and out-compete states that are driving instability.

The NCF is also today avowing its Commander for the first time, as part of the Government’s commitment to provide transparency about how the UK conducts responsible cyber operations.

James Babbage, a GCHQ intelligence officer for nearly 30 years, has led the NCF since its inception in 2020, scaled its operations and led efforts to integrate it effectively with a broad range of other agencies and partners.

He has spent most of his career at GCHQ, with a secondment to the Ministry of Defence and a tour as a liaison officer in the US.

The first ever UK trial of heavy uncrewed ground systems (H-UGVs) has taken place, with companies from the Human-Machine Teaming framework winning an invitation to put their vehicles through their paces and demonstrate their capabilities to the British Army.

Held over two weeks at the Armoured Trials and Development Unit in Bovington, Dorset, the H-UGVs underwent stringent trials to test their effectiveness in battlefield situations.

In this case “heavy” is defined as anything weighing over five tonnes which is remotely controlled by humans.

The trial, the first of its kind in the UK, was organised by Defence Equipment & Support’s Future Capability Group (FCG), and saw three companies selected to take part to showcase their platforms:

• Elbit with its Robust
• Milrem and its Type X
• Rheinmetall with its Wiesel

The H-UGVs were tested against a range of criteria including speed, how they coped with difficult terrain and communication systems.

Lieutenant Colonel James de St John-Pryce, Commanding Officer of ATDU, said:

It’s been a fascinating experience to test these platforms, see what they can do and what could potentially be achieved on the battlefield with crewless vehicles in the next 10, 20 or 30 years.

Make no mistake, we are at step one of a very long journey. But I am excited by what we witnessed during the trials which were a great example of collaboration between the Army, FCG and our industry partners.

James Gavin, head of the Future Capability Group, said:

Over the two weeks of trials and demonstrations we have had the door opened to where we may one day go with these vehicles.

This has been about drawing industry and the Army and together to put these platforms through their paces and see what they can do now, and what might be possible in the future. Next, we will look at the data generated during the trials to see what worked, what needs more thought and where we could go next.

While we are only at the very early, tentative stages of this process, the H-UGV trials have been a success in that they have opened our eyes further to what capabilities can be achieved by uncrewed ground vehicles in the decades to come.

The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) is paving the way for culture change across the Army through its transformation programme, which began back in September 2022 under Commandant Major-General Zac Stenning. This transformation, part of wider changes taking place across Defence, has seen changes to the policies on alcohol, the creation of the sexual harassment task force and a new code of conduct.

As part of the drive by Defence to stamp out unacceptable behaviours and improve the experience for women in the Armed Forces, the Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, visited the prestigious academy today (30 March), which trains officers for the British Army. Over a 44-week course RMAS provides a unique environment for future officers to learn and grow as leaders, with an emphasis on developing leadership skills, fostering teamwork and collaboration, and promoting a strong sense of duty and service to the country.

Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, said:

Vital work has been done to create a more diverse, inclusive and supportive culture at Sandhurst and across our Armed Forces.

From the creation of the Defence Serious Crime Unit, to zero tolerance policies for sexual misconduct, attitudes are changing and so is our response – transforming the experience and opportunities for all our personnel.

One of the key areas of focus during the visit was the improvement of the experience for women across defence. The wider changes taking place across Defence include the introduction of improved uniform for women, free childcare for service families and the creation of the Defence Serious Crime Unit, an independent serious crime investigation capability for Defence.

Other changes in Defence include allowing serving personnel to give evidence to the House of Commons Defence Select Committee, the introduction of last summer’s zero tolerance policies and a clampdown on sexual relationships between instructors and trainees across all training establishments.

Commandant Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Major General Zac Stenning, said:

I am resetting the culture and transforming the training at Sandhurst to deliver the highest quality leaders who can fight and win wars on the Land. Sandhurst will be an inclusive, empowered and learning organisation, staffed by outstanding role models who exemplify the British Army’s Values and Standards.

Servicewomen’s Network representative Lieutenant Colonel Elisabeth Roberts said:

Having served in the Army for 25 years I can honestly say that I have witnessed more progress in the last two years than any time before it. There’s still plenty to do but I am confident we are moving in the right direction and that this will not just benefit women, but the whole of Defence. I also see servicemen now having the confidence to share their vulnerabilities.

This can only be a positive thing, building trust and mutual understanding across teams and enhancing operational effectiveness and I genuinely believe that we have a leadership at the top who are committed to positive change.

These changes recognise that our Servicewomen are an integral part of the Armed Forces and play a vital role in protecting the nation. Following the opening up of all roles in the military to women in 2018 the priority now is to ensure that all personnel feel valued and are supported to be able to have long fulfilling careers.

• London hosts NATO Defence Innovation HQ in partnership with Estonia.
• Opened by UK Defence Minister and NATO Deputy Secretary General.
• Leading innovation across the NATO Alliance to deter and defend against future threats.

The first Regional Office of NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) was opened in London today, with a further hub in Tallinn due to open later this year.

Located at the Imperial College London Innovation Hub (I-HUB) in the White City Innovation District, the regional office was opened by the UK Minister for Defence Procurement, Alex Chalk KC and the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoană on a visit to the site.

Delivering on the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy, the DIANA programme aims to support the foundation, growth and success of start-ups working to drive innovation and forward-thinking in Defence. Bringing together industry, government and academia from across the Alliance, DIANA will help enable NATO Allies to develop and integrate advanced dual-use technologies to address critical defence and security challenges, at pace.

Essential to delivering the NATO 2030 vision, the programme will ensure the Alliance develops the defence capabilities needed to deter and defend against existing and future threats, enhancing security within the Alliance and beyond.

Minister for Defence Procurement, Alex Chalk KC, said:

Combining the brightest and best from our thriving tech industries, government and academia, the UK’s first DIANA office will be a world-leading innovation hub to support future military technologies.

DIANA will operate to unite the best and brightest innovators across the Alliance to ensure that we are well-prepared to protect all Allied nations and nearly one billion citizens.

Mircea Geoană, NATO Deputy Secretary General, said:

DIANA is a game-changer for driving NATO’s innovation agenda forward. I am delighted that Imperial College’s White City Campus will host the first of DIANA’s regional offices. Imperial’s Innovation Hub already co-locates major defence contractors, innovators and researchers alongside UK and US government defence innovation accelerators, making it the ideal place to start this exciting new initiative.

The programme will support all nine of the key emerging and disruptive technologies that NATO has identified as priorities: artificial intelligence, data, autonomy, quantum-enabled technologies, biotechnology, hypersonics, space, novel materials and manufacturing, and energy and propulsion.

David van Weel, Interim DIANA Managing Director said:

Technology has never been as prominent on the NATO agenda as it is today. This location here in London on the Imperial College campus is a fantastic marker of our ambition. We want to bring NATO closer to the best and brightest of our innovators. Leading the establishment of DIANA has been a great pleasure over the past months. Now it is an honour to hand over to Professor Chana, who will be taking DIANA to new heights and launch DIANA’s first pilot activities in June.

Ranked in the world’s top ten innovative universities, Imperial College London will bring together academia, industry and government to host the HQ in a space shared with the UK’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), Major Defence Contractors and the US Department of Defense’s Tri-Service Office.

The veterans are taking part in the excavation of Boles Barrow, which dates back to the Neolithic period, under a programme called Operation Nightingale. This award-winning scheme sees wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans taking part in archaeological digs on the Defence estate. The participants are guided by professional archaeologists from the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, which manages the MOD’s land and buildings, as well as partner organisations, which in the case of the Boles Barrow excavation includes private archaeology company Wessex Archaeology.

Dr Murrison, himself a Royal Navy veteran and a member of the Royal Navy Reserve, visited the excavation on Monday 27 March and was briefed on the project by DIO Senior Archaeologist Richard Osgood. As Minister for Defence People and Veterans, Dr Murrison talked to the participants about their experiences and how taking part in the excavation helps them.

Boles Barrow is a Neolithic long barrow excavated three times in the 19th Century with few surviving records. These excavations found prehistoric combat victims, and it is thought that a bluestone given to Salisbury Museum by Siegfried Sassoon may have emerged during these original investigations. The participants hope to find bluestone chips, which would be incredibly significant given proximity to Stonehenge. Bluestone is a term used to refer to some of the stones used in Stonehenge, but bluestone originates in the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire and is not found naturally locally.

This excavation will also examine the effectiveness of a meshing programme DIO has been running for over a decade on Scheduled Monuments, considering the longevity of the types of protective covering and thus its efficacy.

Dr Andrew Murrison, Minister for Defence People and Veterans, said:

It was great to meet the veterans taking part in this innovative and award-winning programme. Using archaeological excavations to help veterans and allow them to spend time together has clear benefit and this is a programme I wholly support.

Richard Osgood, DIO Senior Archaeologist, who is leading the excavation, said:

It was a pleasure to explain Operation Nightingale and its success to the Minister, and introduce him to our participants. We are hopeful that the excavation of Boles Barrow will help deepen our understanding of the Neolithic landscape of Salisbury Plain. On a practical level, it has already demonstrated that our method of installing mesh to protect certain sites from burrowing animals is a success.

The excavation commenced on 20 March 2023 and has already identified flint tools, a Roman coin and pot rim, and some sarsen.

The UK will continue to strongly support Sweden’s swift accession to NATO and we will work together to ensure Ukraine receives the support it needs, following discussions during a meeting between defence ministers.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace welcomed his counterpart Pål Jonson during a visit to the UK Ministry of Defence today, which included the signing of a letter of intent relating to a new contract to deliver 14 Swedish-built Archer self-propelled guns to the British Army, as well as highlighting potential future collaboration between the UK and Sweden.

During the meeting, the Defence Secretary further reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to supporting Sweden throughout its NATO accession process.

UK Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, said:

“Sweden has provided vital military aid and integral support to Ukraine and our allies through the Joint Expeditionary Force.

“The UK will continue to give our full support to Sweden’s accession to NATO, fortifying Northern Europe and the Baltics against Russian aggression and expanding security challenges in the region.”

Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson said:

Swedish relations with the UK will be strengthened with the agreement about cooperation on artillery signed today. The British leadership when it comes to supporting Ukraine is an inspiration for all of us and both Sweden and the UK will continue to support Ukraine until victory is achieved.

I thank the UK for the quick ratification and the support of our NATO membership application. The UK has shown continued political support but also military presence in our neighbourhood – both bilaterally and through the JEF – pivotal to our security during the accession period.

The UK and Sweden’s defence relationship is driven by membership of the JEF and Northern Group, as well as by the May 2022 UK-Sweden Mutual Solidarity Agreement, relating to intelligence sharing and joint training and operations.

This has been supported by joint exercising of Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft and the Swedish Air Force, as well as by visits from Royal Navy vessels, with HMS Defender and HMS Portland visiting Swedish ports last summer, and a visit by HMS Mersey earlier this month. A further port visit will be carried out by HMS Albion this year.

This spring will also see the Army join forces with the Royal Navy and RAF for Exercise Aurora. Alongside naval vessels, commandos, and RAF Typhoons, soldiers from the 1st Battalion the Mercian Regiment will train with both Swedish and Finnish troops, operating as part of a Finnish Battlegroup in Sweden.

Swedish industry has also provided important support amid the UK’s programme of providing military aid to Ukraine, with hundreds of NLAW anti-tank weapons – designed by Swedish company Saab – donated by the UK to bolster Ukraine’s capability. The UK today also announced a contract of nearly £5 million to replenish munitions granted to Ukraine with Saab-produced Carl-Gustaf M4 recoilless rifles.

The purchase of Archer also enables the UK to support Ukraine through the donation of AS90 self-propelled guns, replacing them until the long-term Mobile Fires Platform delivers later this decade as part of the Future Soldier modernisation programme.

The UK is committed to provide the capabilities Ukraine requires, including artillery, air defence and armoured vehicles, and to drive further international donations and secure lasting peace. The UK provided £2.3 billion in military support to Ukraine in 2022 and has already committed to sustain that level of military support into 2023.