The National Cyber Force that Britain Needs?

Read the report here with a summary available here.

A new report, co-authored by Dr Andrew Dwyer at Durham University’s Department of Geography, explores the formation of the new UK National Cyber Force (NCF). With academics from King’s College London and the UK Offensive Cyber Working Group, the report details how the UK is consolidating offensive cyber activity under this new force. 

Cyber security is today an essential part of everyday life for billions of people across the world.  However, offensive cyber operations by state and non-state actors have become increasingly common, and the UK is no exception to this. The UK Government has seen the NCF as a ‘good news’ story amid other constraints on defence spending. However, an offensive cyber force cannot solve everything and the NCF is expected to tackle a wide range of targets including hostile state actors, terrorists as well as serious and organised crime. Of all the possible missions for the new force, the report argues that it should focus on counter-cyber operations and supporting the military, rather than target civilian infrastructure or engage in other activity which could be ethically and politically dubious.

The report argues that, in the UK context, the decision to forge a cyber force out of contributions from multiple agencies and departments was pragmatic, but the success of this model will depend on the exercise of leadership, coordination and a clear sense of shared priorities for the new force as a “democratic cyber power”.

Key Findings include:

• Despite the significant emphasis on offensive cyber in the recent UK Government Integrated Review, ambitions for the NCF should be realistic. Offensive cyber is but one of several components of cyber strategy. The starting point for a responsible approach should be improved cyber security and resilience.
• The NCF has a wide variety of possible missions, countering state threats, terrorism, and serious and organised crime. It cannot pursue all these missions equally well. Priorities will need to be determined. A balance of counter-cyber operations and support to military operations is arguably the best (and least controversial) use of the NCF.
• There is a compelling argument for more active coordination and leadership of cyber strategy from the centre of government. The future of UK offensive cyber should be decided holistically by ministers, not by competition between the NCF’s constituent departments.
• The NCF will collaborate closely with allies such as US Cyber Command and the UK Government has repeatedly emphasised its commitment to contribute cyber capabilities within the NATO alliance. There remains a balance to be struck between what can be done with allies and what will require sovereign capabilities.

About the authors

Dr Joe Devanny is a Lecturer in National Security Studies and deputy director of the Centre for Defence Studies in the Department of War Studies (King’s College London).

Dr Andrew Dwyer is an Addison Wheeler Research Fellow in the Department of Geography (Durham University) and co-director of the UK Offensive Cyber Working Group.

Amy Ertan is a doctoral candidate in the Information Security Group (Royal Hollway), non-resident Visiting Scholar (NATO Cooperative Cyber Security Centre of Excellence), Cybersecurity Fellow (Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs), and co-director of the UK Offensive Cyber Working Group.

Dr Tim Stevens in a Senior Lecturer in Global Security in the Department of War Studies (King’s College London) and head of the KCL Cyber Security Research Group.

Forthcoming event

A panel discussion and audience Q&A to launch this report will be held live online on Tuesday 4 May between 3pm and 4.30pm. It will be chaired by Professor Lady Moira Andrews (KCL), with a panel including the report’s authors and invited guests, including Marcus Willett CB OBE (Senior Cyber Adviser at the International Institute for Security Studies, GCHQ’s first Director Cyber and former deputy head). Sign up for the event here.