- New unified organisation to speed up how Defence gathers and
shares intelligence.
- Government delivering on the major reform recommended in the
Strategic Defence Review to keep Britain ahead of rising global
threats.
- Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit created as hostile activity
towards MOD and Armed Forces rapidly increases by more than 50%
in past year.
UK military intelligence will be more efficient, faster, and
better able to anticipate future threats as the Ministry of
Defence launches the new Military Intelligence Services (MIS).
This major overhaul of Defence's intelligence organisations comes
amid increasing threats to the UK and will keep Britain ahead of
hostile states and terrorists.
Following the recommendations in the Strategic Defence Review,
the reforms bring every intelligence unit and organisation within
Defence under one organisation for the first time, including
units from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force –
speeding up how information is gathered, analysed and shared
across the Armed Forces.
The announcement comes amid escalating threats to the UK, as
adversaries intensify cyber-attacks, disrupt satellites, threaten
global shipping lanes, and spread disinformation. These actions
increasingly impact everyday life, driving up food prices,
increasing economic uncertainty, and threatening energy security
and national infrastructure.
To boost Defence's resilience further, today also sees the launch
of the new Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit (DCIU). Over the
past year, hostile intelligence activity against the MOD has
risen by more than 50%, revealing just how quickly our
adversaries are intensifying their efforts.
The Minister for the Armed Forces MP, and Minister for Veterans and People MP, launched the MIS
and DCIU at one of the UK's key intelligence sites – Wyton in
Cambridgeshire – which includes a football-pitch-sized
intelligence fusion centre, bringing together top secret
intelligence from across the Five Eyes partnership.
Defence Secretary, 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.”
The Military Intelligence Services bring together intelligence
units from the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, UK
Space Command, and Permanent Joint Headquarters, ensuring they
operate as one system.
Under the command of the Cyber and Specialist Operations Command,
and the leadership of the Chief of Defence Intelligence, this
will give Defence faster and clearer warnings of threats to our
forces and the public, allowing the UK to use data from land,
sea, air, space, and cyberspace in real time, sharpening the
nation's ability to deter adversaries before they
act.
It will be supported by the new Defence Intelligence Academy who
offer world-class training in key intelligence disciplines such
as cyber, space and geospatial analysis.
General Sir Jim Hockenhull, Commander of the Cyber and
Specialist Operations Command,
said:
“Intelligence sits at the heart of defence. Underpinning
everything we do, it provides the insight and foresight we need
and enables our operations.
“In an increasingly complex and volatile world where threats are
always evolving, our intelligence operations are always on, 24
hours a day, 7 days a week.
“The establishment of the Military Intelligence Services and the
Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit are significant steps forward
in strengthening the UK's ability to anticipate threats, enabling
faster and more precise action, supporting our Armed Forces, and
protecting our citizens.”
The Dawn Sturgess Inquiry, published last week, made clear that
foreign intelligence services are now operating far beyond
traditional espionage norms, targeting Defence personnel,
technology programmes, supply chains, and wider defence industry
both at home and overseas.
The Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit will unify
counter-intelligence professionals from across Defence, giving
them the tools and structure needed to disrupt and deter hostile
activity more effectively.
Their work will protect the UK's most sensitive capabilities –
including the nuclear deterrent, high-tech industrial projects,
and critical infrastructure – while strengthening cooperation
with the UK intelligence agencies and NATO allies.
Earlier this year, the Prime Minister made a historic commitment
to spend 5% of GDP on national security from 2035, alongside the
largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of
the Cold War – hitting 2.6% of GDP by 2027 – and an extra £5
billion for defence this year alone.
