Established in 2020, the National Cyber Force (NCF) is a partnership between GCHQ and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) which carries out cyber operations on a daily basis in an attempt to protect against threats to the UK, further the UK’s foreign policy, support military operations, and prevent serious crime.

Following the publication of the government’s Integrated Review Refresh (IRR), the publication of a new document, NCF: Responsible Cyber Power in Practice, delivers on the commitment to the IRR to be as transparent as possible about the NCF’s cyber capabilities and provide clarity on how the UK acts as a cyber power.

Director GCHQ, Sir Jeremy Fleming, said: “In an increasingly volatile and interconnected world, to be a truly responsible cyber power, nations must be able to contest and compete with adversaries in cyberspace. In the UK, the National Cyber Force complements the UK’s world class cyber resilience to give the country operational cyber capabilities at the scale needed to protect our free, open, and peaceful society.”

In the statement, the UK government said it is “reiterating its commitment to international stability and security,” deeming its own policies as responsible, with “accountable, precise, and calibrated” operations.

In the paper, the NCF details that its cyber operations are carried out on a “daily basis” and range from supporting military operation, to preventing serious crimes like countering child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Operations are carried out against both state and non-state threats, using a combination of the “MOD’s operational and planning expertise, DSTL’s scientific and technical capabilities, GCHQ’s global intelligence and SIS’s skills in recruiting and running agents alongside delivering clandestine operational technology.”

A new permanent base will be established at Samlesbury in Lancashire, aiming to increase the NCF’s operational output.

The report – written in layman’s terms, discusses the UK’s principles and operational approach, insisting the NCF functions in an ethical manner, in line with national values as well as domestic and international law, and the paper goes into detail on different ethical frameworks underlying its operations.

Other central principles include having precise and calibrated operations.

Operational Approach

Central to the NCF’s approach is the “doctrine of cognitive effect,” which is an approach of weakening an adversary’s ability to plant and conduct activities by using techniques that have the potential to sow distrust and decrease moral.

This includes removing the digital technology groups rely on in order to function, such as taking away extremist groups’ abilities to publish media.

Other approaches include limiting adversaries’ lines of communication or affecting their confidence in digital technology in order to prevent their ability to acquire, analyse, and ultimately exploit the information they need.

Covertly damaging the integrity of an adversary’s systems so they are less functional rather than completely denying the service was found to have a more long-lasting effect.

A “Responsible Cyber Actor”

In a statement, the UK government insisted it was a “responsible cyber actor,” taking actions that would set it apart from its adversaries.

The NCF’s work is covert in nature – the details of opertaions must not be revealed as the ambiguity of certain opertaions is key to amplifying the congnitive effect.

Despite the necessary level of secrecy, however, the government has decided to disclose that over the last three years the NCF has delivered operations to:

• Protect military deployments overseas;
• Disrupt terrorist groups;
• Counter sophisticated, stealthy and continuous cyber threats;
• Counter state disinformation campaigns;
• Reduce the threat of external interference in democratic elections; and
• Remove child sexual abuse material from public spaces online.

Sir Fleming added: “Building upon two decades of experience, the dynamic new partnership has countered state threats, made key contributions to military operations, and disrupted terrorist cells and serious criminals including child sex offenders.”

The paper hopes to reiterate the UK’s commitment to international stability and security, and illustrate how states can act responsibly in cyberspace, in line with domestic and international law.

Sir Fleming continued: “With the threat growing and the stakes higher than ever before, we hope this document provides a benchmark for the UK’s approach and a basis for like-minded governments to come together internationally to establish a shared vision and values for the responsible use of cyber operations.”

General Sir Jim Hockenhull, Commander of Strategic Command, said: “The National Cyber Force is a crucial tool in our integrated approach to national security and our defence of the UK.

“Working across Government and with our international allies is vital. There is a power in partnerships, and we must go further to out-cooperate and out-compete states that are driving instability.”