Britain must boost cyber-attack capacity, PM Johnson says By Reuters

By David Milliken

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain needs to boost its capacity to conduct cyber attacks on foreign enemies, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said before the publication of a national security review next week.

“Cyber power is revolutionising the way we live our lives and fight our wars, just as air power did 100 years ago,” Johnson said in a statement released by his office on Saturday.

Johnson is due to present a long-term review of national security strategy to parliament on Tuesday which media reports suggest could lead to a reduction in armed forces personnel.

“The review will set out the importance of cyber technology to our way of life – whether it’s defeating our enemies on the battlefield, making the internet a safer place or developing cutting-edge tech to improve people’s lives,” Johnson’s office said.

In 2019, Britain spent $59 billion, or 2.1% of national income, on defence, more than any other large European country but far below the 3.5% of income spent by the United States.

Britain has invested heavily in costly aircraft carriers in recent years and maintains nuclear weapons, but its ground forces have shrunk since the Cold War ended.

Some British media have reported that the review will call for the number of army personnel to be reduced by a further 12,500 to around 70,000.

The defence ministry said on Saturday that talk of cuts “at this stage is speculation”.

Johnson said the National Cyber Force – including spies, defence officials and scientists – would have a permanent base in northern England as the government tries to boost regional development outside London.

The NCF targets threats including foreign air defence systems and the mobile phones of people the government views as serious criminals or terrorists.

It was created last year alongside a dedicated army regiment focused on cyber warfare. In 2016 a National Cyber Security Centre was set up to advise the government and public on how to reduce the risk of cyber-attacks.

Disclaimer: Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. All CFDs (stocks, indexes, futures) and Forex prices are not provided by exchanges but rather by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual market price, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Therefore Fusion Media doesn`t bear any responsibility for any trading losses you might incur as a result of using this data.

Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals contained within this website. Please be fully informed regarding the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest investment forms possible.