"Motivating its actions with the" Russian threat ": how the UK intends to strengthen the cyber troops to" overcome the enemies "

The UK will build up its military capabilities in cyberspace to counter potential adversaries.

This is stated in the statement of the Prime Minister of the country Boris Johnson, published by his office.

“Cyber ​​technology is revolutionizing our way of life and the way we wage war, just as aviation did a hundred years ago.

We must build up our cyber potential in order to take advantage of the opportunities it provides, and everywhere to oppose those who seek to use this potential to the detriment of us and our way of life, ”the Office of the Head of Government of the United Kingdom said.

According to Johnson, "a new comprehensive approach to cyber capabilities" will "advance the interests" of the UK in the world.

As noted in the office, these theses will be included in the Comprehensive Review of the Security, Defense, Development and Foreign Relations Policy of Britain, which is due to be published next week.

In addition, this document will include provisions, the implementation of which will "significantly improve" the skills of British specialists in detecting adversaries, as well as "disrupt their plans and contain them, taking advantage of the fruits of the revolution in the use of smart and cybernetic technologies."

“The review will highlight the importance of cyber technology to our way of life - whether it is about defeating our enemies on the battlefield, creating a safer Internet or developing advanced technologies to improve the quality of life for people,” the statement said.

Johnson's office also stressed that in recent years, opponents of the UK are "investing in building their own capabilities and constantly finding new ways to take advantage" of the country's vulnerabilities and gaining an advantage in cyberspace.

“We need a comprehensive approach in order to secure our competitive advantage and stay ahead of our enemies,” the message says.

The office announced that in a few days Johnson will announce the deployment of the headquarters of the new National Cyber ​​Force (NCF) - it should be located in the north of England, which "will establish a" cyber corridor "across the country."

• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson

• Reuters

• © Paul Grover

"National Cyber ​​Forces are completely transforming the UK's capabilities to conduct targeted offensive operations in cyberspace, designed to force our adversaries to pay a real price," the Prime Minister's Office said.

"Russian trace"

According to The Times, the UK's Comprehensive Review of Security, Defense, Development and Foreign Affairs will feature Russia as a “hostile state” and “the greatest threat” to the United Kingdom.

London intends to treat Beijing as a “commercial competitor”.

In addition, according to the publication, the document will outline plans to increase spending on offensive cyber weapons to counter the Russian Federation and China.

In particular, the British side plans to expand the capabilities of the National Cyber ​​Force, the creation of which was announced in November last year.

This structure was formed, among other things, to suppress the malicious actions of other states in the cyber sphere.

The NCF brings together the military and intelligence officers under a single command.

In anticipation of the publication of the Comprehensive Review of the United Kingdom, which, according to The Times, is scheduled to be released on March 16, the publication posted an article entitled "China and Russia seized the initiative in the fight for cyberspace."

Its author Patrick Sanders, head of the Kingdom's Armed Forces Strategic Command, writes that London is "giving up strategic initiative" to its rivals.

“While we wasted our energy on interventions in, say, Iraq, others used their time and space to advance their interests from a more strategic point of view.

China is pursuing a “win without force” strategy, rebuilding the world order;

Russia is combining the means of armed and unarmed warfare to change the map, seeking to influence the balance of power and undermine the unity of our societies through disinformation.

Both countries are gaining a significant advantage in the field of military technology of the information age, "- says the British general.

"A handy tool for manipulation

"

As analysts remind, Britain has repeatedly groundlessly accused Russia of cybercrimes.

According to experts, in this way London paved the way for expanding and strengthening its cyber powers.

“The UK has many times complained about such attacks from the Russian Federation, traditionally not providing any evidence.

Now we understand that the promotion of the topic of the "Russian threat", including in the cyber sphere, is a convenient tool for manipulating public opinion in the United Kingdom.

Over the years, the thesis that Moscow is constantly trying to attack their country has been systematically introduced into the minds of the British, "Nikita Danyuk, deputy director of the RUDN Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts, a member of the Public Chamber, recalled in an interview with RT.

According to him, the British side by such actions sought to justify the need to expand and strengthen its cyber troops.

• Reuters

• © Kacper Pempel

Political scientist Alexander Asafov adheres to a similar position.

According to him, fabrication of such accusations "is necessary for London to motivate the use of methods of unfair competition against the Russian Federation."

"Blaming Moscow, it is easier to explain to the British why the kingdom, in the midst of a pandemic, economic crisis and problems associated with Brexit, is going to allocate additional money to expand cyber troops and create a headquarters for them," Asafov said in a conversation with RT.

He added that in order to solve domestic political problems, Great Britain "seeks to maintain the image of Russia as an enemy, which must be fought by all available means."

At the same time, the analyst stressed that the Russian Federation has never used any cyber weapons against other countries.

“The Russian leadership has repeatedly stated this in response to the groundless accusations of the British side,” he said.

Nikita Danyuk, in turn, predicted that Britain, "motivating its actions with the" Russian threat ", will continue to increase its activity in cyberspace.

“Moreover, it will not do it autonomously, but in close cooperation with the same United States.

Britain remains a member of NATO, which is conducting an increasing number of exercises along Russia's borders in potential cyberspace confrontations.

Among other things, attack scenarios are being worked out, for example, on critical infrastructure facilities, ”the analyst recalled.

In addition, he believes that a significant build-up of UK cyber forces could pose a potential threat not only to Russia, but to the entire world.

“The fact is that cyber conflicts can cause colossal damage to the international security system, even if the attacks were initially aimed at one country,” the expert said.

As Asafov explained, any cyberattacks on the infrastructure of a separate state can disable vital systems.

However, according to him, "there are serious doubts as to whether the qualifications of the National Cybernetic Forces are commensurate with the level of Russia's security systems."

At the same time, Nikita Danyuk drew attention to the fact that Great Britain did not show interest in the initiative of the Russian side to combat cybercrime.

“Moscow believes that it is necessary to work out certain rules of the game in the cybersphere.

However, London does not agree to this, which is a kind of evidence of its interest in using tools to inflict maximum damage on countries that are undesirable because of their independent policy, ”concluded Danyuk.