The joint UK and US military partnership to combat cyberthreats

In response to malicious cyber threats and activity, the UK and US military have begun a partnership exchanging knowledge in cyberspace operations

Following the £50 million in September invested in the UK toward the cyber academy to benefit an influential UK and US relationship, world-class cyber training is to begin between the nations for cyberspace safety and operations.

The UK Strategic Command – which oversees resources and operations that cut across the three Armed Forces and their domains – as well as the US’s dedicated Cyber Command with technology specialists from the MoD’s Defence Digital, will take part in the operation.

Personnel from Defence Digital will identify threats to internal systems

The operation between the UK and US has been said by collaborators to: a “collaborative exercise which will identify threats that could impact the internal systems of participants.”

Aiming to unify response to malicious cyber activity, insights will be shared between nations to strengthen cyber resilience.

This new £50 million UK centre will support the training of world-class cyber experts, both domestically and internationally, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has announced.

The MoD indicated that the collaboration is being launched against the backdrop of “increased digitisation (which) brings unprecedented complexity, instability and risk, making global partnerships key to our security and economic prosperity”.

“Cyber does not recognise geographic borders”

Rear admiral Nick Washer, operations director at Defence Digital, said: “Cyber does not recognise geographic borders. Our relationships with partners offer huge shared benefits; operations like this with US Cyber Command put our expertise into practice and enhance our collective defence.”

US Navy Rear Adm. Matthew Paradise, deputy director, Operations J-3, US Cyber Command, added: “Defensive Cyberspace Operations helps CyberCom meet its mission responsibilities by enabling and improving mission assurance of the joint force, as well as our allies and partners, by maintaining reliable and defensible networks.”

Insights from the operation will be shared with all partners to bolster security

Rear Admiral Nick Washer, Director Operations at Defence Digital said: “Cyber does not recognise geographic borders. Our relationships with partners offer huge shared benefits; operations like this with US Cyber Command put our expertise into practice and enhance our collective defence.”

This sentiment was echoed by U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Matthew C. Paradise, deputy director, Operations J-3, U.S. Cyber Command, who added: “Defensive Cyberspace Operations helps CYBERCOM meet its mission responsibilities by enabling and improving mission assurance of the joint force, as well as our allies and partners, by maintaining reliable and defensible networks

“The information age is making the world more interconnected than ever before, driving opportunity, innovation, and progress. However, this increased digitisation also brings unprecedented complexity, instability and risk, making global partnerships key to our security and economic prosperity.”