Army ‘not prepared for Russia cyber threat’

Dearth of specialists leaves Britain vulnerable to threat of electronic attack as Russia raises stakes

Britain’s Armed Forces are ill-equipped to handle the increasing threat of cyber attacks from Russia and a new era of “electronic warfare” because of a shortage of intelligence experts, a report has suggested. The National Audit Office disclosed that the military was facing a 26 per cent shortfall in intelligence analysts, equivalent to 700 experts.

THE Armed Forces are ill-equipped to handle the increasing threat of cyber attacks from Russia and a new era of “electronic warfare” because of a shortage of intelligence experts, a report has suggested.

The National Audit Office disclosed that the military is facing a 26 per cent shortfall in intelligence analysts, equivalent to 700 experts, and there are increasing concerns that it will be unable to plug the gap because it is competing with the private sector.

It follows reports that Russia has used “jamming” technology to disable US drones in Syria, causing operators to lose control of them. There are concerns that the technology could be used to take down planes.

Earlier this week GCHQ and the FBI issued an extraordinary warning that Russia was targeting millions of computers in an attempt to mount a mass cyber attack against the West.

The NAO says in its report: “The changing character of warfare means the [Ministry of Defence] faces an immediate and growing challenge to develop the skills it will need in the future.

“The threats faced by the UK are constantly evolving. For example, the increasing risk of cyber and electronic attacks will change the capabilities – and skills – that the Armed Forces will need in the future.

“The new demands will add to the pressure to increase capability in some trades that already have shortfalls.”

Meg Hillier, the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, said: “There is a real concern in both civilian and military areas that there is a lack of the specialist skills needed to prevent and deal with cyber attacks. This is a huge task to get the right people trained and in place.

“We have seen from recent events in Salisbury that Russia is prepared to mount attacks on our soil. We should rightly be worried about this and we expect the Government to step up its preparedness.”

The NAO said that the military was facing its biggest overall shortfall for a decade, with 8,200 fewer servicemen and women than needed – equivalent to 5.7per cent.

However, it said the figure “masks” much bigger shortfalls in 102 “pinch point” trades in the Armed Forces, as the military struggles to compete for recruits with the private sector. The figures showed a shortfall of 2,700 engineers, equivalent to 17 per cent, and 800 pilots (23 per cent).

The financial watchdog said: “The shortfalls could affect the department’s ability to undertake future missions.”

It said that the Armed Forces had been left with the gaps after a wave of redundancies between 2010 and 2015, which included 6,120 servicemen and women from specialisms where there are now shortfalls.

An MOD spokesman said recruiting and retaining talent was a “top priority”. “The military has enough personnel to meet all its operational requirements,” he said. “In the past year we have recruited over 13,000 people into the armed forces.”

‘There is a real concern … there is a lack of specialist skills needed to prevent and deal with cyber attacks’