The UK has unveiled a sweeping overhaul of its defence intelligence apparatus, launching the new ‘Military Intelligence Services (MIS)’ in a bid to speed up how the Armed Forces gather,
analyse and share critical information amid a surge in hostile activity.
The reforms, announced by the Ministry of Defence on Thursday, follow recommendations from the Strategic Defence Review and bring all intelligence units across the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force under one umbrella for the first time. Officials say the new structure will deliver faster, more cohesive intelligence to counter adversaries ranging from hostile states to terrorist groups.
The move comes as Britain faces mounting security threats. Cyber-attacks, satellite interference, disruption of global shipping, and widespread disinformation campaigns are increasingly shaping daily life — driving up food prices, unsettling the economy and putting pressure on energy systems and national infrastructure.
To bolster resilience, the government also launched a new ‘Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit (DCIU)’, after the MOD reported a more than 50% rise in hostile intelligence activity over the past year.
The MIS and DCIU were formally opened by Armed Forces Minister Al Carns and Veterans and People Minister Louise Sandher-Jones at Wyton in Cambridgeshire, one of the UK’s key intelligence hubs and home to a vast fusion centre that integrates top-secret data from across the Five Eyes alliance.
Defence Secretary John Healey said the reforms were essential to keeping pace with emerging threats.
“As threats increase, we are making defence intelligence smarter. This Government is delivering the recommendations in the Strategic Defence Review, putting Britain at the leading edge of military innovation. For intelligence, this means cutting-edge technology, clearer structures and faster data flows. This gives us sharper insights into what our adversaries might do next, so we protect our forces, safeguard critical infrastructure, and deter changing threats.
Our intelligence work is usually unseen but always essential. I am grateful to all our Military Intelligence Services personnel whose round-the-clock vigilance keeps the UK secure at home and strong abroad”, - he said.
The MIS will operate under the Cyber and Specialist Operations Command and be led by the Chief of Defence Intelligence. The aim is to provide real-time warnings of land, sea, air, space and cyber threats, improving the UK’s ability to deter hostile action before it happens.
Supporting the new structure is the Defence Intelligence Academy, which will provide advanced training in cyber operations, space intelligence, geospatial analysis and other specialist fields.
General Sir Jim Hockenhull, Commander of the Cyber and Specialist Operations Command, said: “Intelligence sits at the heart of defence. Underpinning everything we do, it provides the insight and foresight we need and enables our operations.
In an increasingly complex and volatile world where threats are always evolving, our intelligence operations are always on, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The establishment of the Military Intelligence Services and the Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit are significant steps forward in strengthening the UK’s ability to anticipate threats, enabling faster and more precise action, supporting our Armed Forces, and protecting our citizens”.
The reforms also follow last week’s publication of the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry, which highlighted how foreign intelligence services are operating beyond traditional espionage boundaries — targeting defence personnel, supply chains, industrial partners and sensitive technology projects.
The new DCIU will consolidate counter-intelligence specialists across Defence, giving them greater capacity to disrupt and deter hostile activity. Their work will protect the UK’s most sensitive assets, including the nuclear deterrent and high-tech defence programmes, while deepening collaboration with UK intelligence agencies and NATO allies.
The overhaul comes as the government embarks on a major boost to defence investment. Earlier this year, the Prime Minister pledged to raise national security spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, with defence spending set to reach 2.6% of GDP by 2027 and an additional £5 billion committed this year. Photo: Harland Quarrington/MOD, Wikimedia commons.