The United Kingdom’s government has officially confirmed that the National Cyber Force (NCF) and National Cyber Treasury conduct offensive operations against unfriendly regimes and terrorist organizations. The NCF agency was established in 2020 and is seen as a product of the partnership and cooperation between the country’s defense and intelligence. Officials stated that the main role of the agency is conducting active actions in cyberspace. However, the government never shared details about what the agency does specifically.
Recently, in a press release, the National Cyber Force shared some information about what they did over the past three years. The agency added a reservation that it could not reveal detailed data due to a high level of secrecy. Still, they reported participating daily in operations to destroy terrorist groups, sexual violence of children, and military opponents of Great Britain. The NCF also opposed disinformation campaigns organized by foreign states and even prevented external intervention in the UK’s political elections.
Jeremy Fleming, Director of the Great Britain Centre (GCHQ), said, “in an increasingly unstable and interconnected world, in order to be a truly responsible cyber-power, the country must have the opportunity to dispute and compete with opponents in cyberspace.” Fleming also added that “the National Cyber Force supplements the cyber resistance of Great Britain in order to provide the country with operational cyber seizures on the scale necessary to protect a free, open, and peaceful society.”
The NCF agency also published a document called “Responsible Cyber in Practice” to confirm that all their operations corresponded internal and international law and were fulfilled responsibly. The document notes that many unfriendly countries “regularly” conduct cyber operations to damage the country’s democracy, but the UK will not resort to the methods of these countries. Instead, the country will act exclusively and ethically in a responsible and democratic cyber-power way.