UK consolidates intelligence operations to strengthen defence against global threats

WorldPolitics
12 Dec 2025 • 10:55 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

image is not available

  • The Ministry of Defence is consolidating its intelligence operations to bolster the UK's defence against evolving global threats.
  • This strategic overhaul follows revelations from the 2018 Novichok poisoning inquiry, which highlighted foreign intelligence services operating beyond traditional espionage norms.
  • The shake-up integrates units from the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, UK Space Command and Permanent Joint Headquarters to speed up information gathering.
  • A new Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit is also being launched to counter a more than 50 per cent rise in hostile intelligence activity against the MoD over the past year.
  • Defence Secretary John Healey stated these changes will provide sharper insights into adversaries, protecting forces, safeguarding critical infrastructure and deterring threats.

IN FULL