Britain is launching a major cyber offensive against hostile states including Vladimir Putin’s Russia, as the Defence Secretary unveils a £1 billion blitz on AI weapons and military hacking, reports The Telegraph.
John Healey declared that the UK’s Armed Forces must be given the upper hand in the growing online battlefield, warning that “the keyboard has become a weapon of war.”
The announcement comes as part of a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command, set to lead Britain’s digital fightback. The unit will spearhead offensive hacking operations and oversee a staggering £1 billion investment into cutting-edge AI-powered targeting systems.
The artificial intelligence, dubbed a “kill web,” will connect military systems in real time and form the backbone of Britain’s digital arsenal.
Mr Healey, speaking from MoD Corsham—the nerve centre of Britain’s military cyber efforts—said the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) to be published on Monday will set “new standards” in defence.
Pressed on whether Britain was now actively enhancing its ability to attack hostile states such as Russia and China, the Defence Secretary gave the clearest confirmation yet.
“Yes,” he said. “The Cyber Command is part of removing duplication, setting new standards, giving new authority behind defensive and offensive cyber.”
This marks the most explicit public statement from any UK government minister about Britain’s offensive cyber ambitions, as threats from foreign actors continue to mount.
“We are under daily attack, increasing attacks,” Mr Healey added. “This is the nerve centre of the UK’s military that helps us defend against these attacks. The keyboard has become a weapon of war.”
The Labour Defence Secretary said the war in Ukraine had made clear that “those that prevail will be those who are not just better equipped and better trained, but better connected and also capable of innovating ahead of adversaries.”
“That’s what our new cyber command will allow us to do,” he insisted.
For the past five years, the National Cyber Force, a joint operation between GCHQ and the Ministry of Defence, has taken the lead on offensive hacking. It will now work alongside the new command unit to deliver powerful online attacks and protect critical infrastructure.
Details of Britain’s cyber arsenal remain classified—but similar operations around the world have included digital espionage and software implants capable of crippling industrial systems.
Hostile nations including Russia, China, Iran and North Korea are believed to be behind an onslaught of cyber aggression targeting Western powers. In the last two years alone, the Ministry of Defence has endured a jaw-dropping 90,000 cyber attacks—double the number seen in 2023.
Mr Healey didn’t mince his words: “This is a level of cyber warfare that is continual and intensifying that requires us to step up our capacity to defend.”
He added that although previous governments had discussed the importance of cyber power, they had “not promoted [it] in a way that integrated the efforts of the RAF, British Army and Royal Navy.”
Earlier this month, the Commons public accounts committee sounded the alarm over outdated IT systems across Whitehall. Its report warned that the Government was being outpaced by cyber criminals and lacked the skilled personnel needed to respond.
Shockingly, more than a quarter of all public sector IT systems are still running on outdated “legacy” technology—leaving gaping holes in national cyber defences.
It comes amid a wave of cyber attacks on top UK retailers, including Marks & Spencer, Harrods and the Co-op, which have all fallen victim to online assaults in recent months.
