The United Kingdom announced on Thursday its intention to create a new military formation focused specifically on digital and electronic warfare, as a result of the country’s strategic defense review.
Cyber and Electromagnetic Command will sit under Strategic Command — already responsible for the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) offensive and defensive cyber capabilities, alongside the country’s special forces — and is intended to “lead defensive cyber operations and coordinate offensive cyber capabilities with the National Cyber Force,” according to the MoD.
It comes as the government prepares to publish a strategic defense review launched shortly after the Labour Party was elected. It will establish the priorities for military spending over the coming years and focus on how to address “the threats Britain faces, the capabilities needed to meet them, the state of UK armed forces and the resources available.”
“Ways of warfare are rapidly changing,” said Britain’s defense secretary, John Healey, in a statement. “The hard-fought lessons from Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine leave us under no illusions that future conflicts will be won through forces that are better connected, better equipped and innovating faster than their adversaries.
“We will give our Armed Forces the ability to act at speeds never seen before - connecting ships, aircraft, tanks and operators so they can share vital information instantly and strike further and faster.”
The review is expected to be published on June 2 and to highlight “how daily cyber-attacks are threatening the foundations of the economy and daily life” according to the MoD.
Efforts to deal with this challenge involve encouraging direct recruitment into specialist cyber roles. A new accelerated pipeline announced in February will see cyberwarriors do only an abridged form of basic training — only four weeks instead of the normal 10 — before spending three months learning military cyber skills.
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