The UK Government has recently presented for the first time an overview of the operations of an elite force of cybersecurity experts called the National Cyber Force (NCF). Established in 2020, the force was designed to try and combat the threats making the UK and its citizens vulnerable, as well as prevent major crimes from taking place such as terrorism and child sexual exploitation.
The NCF is made up of hundreds of specialists from various British organizations, like the GCHQ, the Ministry of Defence and the MI6. One of the individuals tasked with leading the organization is James Babbage, a spy with almost thirty years of experience working with GCHQ.
The main goal of the NCF is to infiltrate digital communication channels used by hostile states and spread a sort of distrust among them, to prevent them from believing their own data, thus making it more difficult for them to use the internet for deceptive or malicious purposes.
To achieve their objectives, the NCF uses various ‘levers of power’, like paralysing the technology of enemy states to limit their ability to communicate or coordinate their activities in times of crisis, or disrupting their technological networks to diminish their confidence in the reliability of their data. All these efforts are meant to have an effect on the adversary’s capability and will to change their behaviours.
The NCF have also tried to win over hostile actors and call out their destructive activities. Lastly, their techniques have been applied to modern armies, as the groups winning the battles are those that make smarter use of digital systems and prevent their enemies from doing the same.
The NCF’s operations have been credited with safeguarding military deployments and democracies around the world, as well as preventing millions of pounds from falling into the hands of criminal organisations. To equip this force for their task, the UK government has opened a new permanent base in Samlesbury, Lancashire and plans for the size of the group to reach 3,000 in the near future.
The company mentioned in this article is GCHQ, the Government Communications Headquarters, a British intelligence and security organisation responsible for providing signals intelligence and information assurance to the government and armed forces of the United Kingdom. It has two principal functions, which are to provide security for British government communications and intelligence gathering for the UK’s foreign policy.
The person mentioned in this article is James Babbage, the commander of the National Cyber Force (NCF). Babbage is a spy with near thirty years of experience working at GCHQ, the Government Communications Headquarters. He is in charge of leading a large team of cyber experts and spies, seeking to infiltrate and spread distrust among hostile states. His mission is to make enemies doubt their own data and decision-making.
