British Army general reveals UK’s hunt-forward cyber operations

In an interview with Recorded Future News, Lt. Gen. Tom Copinger-Symes, a deputy commander within the United Kingdom’s Strategic Command, discussed Strategic Command’s recent openness regarding its hunt-forward operations. These operations, a form of defensive activity, were first pioneered by US Cyber Command and involve military cyber experts deploying to foreign nations to detect malicious activity within their networks. While the Defence Command Paper 2023 alluded to these operations, it did not explicitly confirm the British Armed Forces’ engagement in them until now.

Copinger-Symes also noted that the perspective on cyberwarfare has evolved since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Initially, there was a misconception that cyber played a minor role. However, Ukraine’s efforts to bolster cyber resilience and international support from companies like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft highlighted the importance of data security.

Commenting on the concept of Responsible Cyber Power and the doctrine of cognitive effect, Copinger-Symes explained that all warfare has a cognitive dimension, and cyberwarfare is no different. It involves influencing and controlling human behaviour. The digital domain, with its amplifying effects, plays a crucial role in shaping the information environment during conflicts.

Lt. Gen. Copinger-Symes oversees both the Ministry of Defence’s offensive and defensive cyber capabilities, as well as activities that fall within this spectrum.