Britain's top spymaster has warned global security has been shattered to such an extent that the country faces a “seismic” change on the scale of the post-9/11 era.
Head of MI5 Ken McCallum said countries such as Britain face threats “at scale” from “arson, sabotage, cyber-attacks, coercion and violence” all aimed at communities. He pinpointed Russia as Britain's top threat, along with the possibility of AI aiding bio-weaponry, Iran-backed attacks, terrorism from multiple enemies and communities threatened with division.
Annual threat assessment
Career counter-terror and espionage expert McCallum, who joined MI5 30 years ago, issued the stark warning as he gave his annual assessment of Britain's threat levels. Speaking to a small audience at MI5's London HQ Thames House, which included the Daily Mirror, he said his “personal view” is that this period of unrest could last “years.”
In a message to the UK and its enemies he said: “Five years into my career 9-11 struck, ending almost 3,000 lives and devastated many more. A seismic shock that changed the world - and changed MI5, demanding radical transformation as we took on a radically different form of threat. We’re there again. We have entered a new era of national security - requiring a new response.”
Russia remains 'number one threat'
McCallum, a Glaswegian Maths graduate, said Russia still remains the “number one threat” to the UK, with Iran close behind. He also warned that Artificial Intelligence could harm society, and stressed that toxic internet messaging is undermining security and community well-being.
He said: “When you hear ‘national security, don’t just think of Ukraine, subsea cables, armed drones or cyber weapons. Think also of the place where you live, where you work. Think of a flicker in the power grid supplying your home. Think of your local synagogue or mosque having to install enhanced security measures. Think of a toxic or manipulative post on social media. Think perhaps of what online algorithms are feeding your teenagers in their bedrooms.”
MI5's 'Protect' mission
State threats from Russia and other hostile countries and terrorism are equal in their scale, he said, representing a huge shift in recent years. Aside from MI5's mission to fight these threats in the shadows, he said the Security Service is now engaging with a new struggle called “Protect” which is an effort to build “national resilience.”
He said this includes “systemic resilience of the UK’s critical infrastructure, assets and services, financial systems, energy grids, supply chains and manufacturing.” The second aspect of the mission is to tackle how the UK’s enemies are “...trying to manipulate how we fell.” He explained: “Those who mean us harm are trying - often with a helping hand from polarising algorithms - to divide our communities and turn us against one another.”
And, citing the death of Anne Widdecombe, he warned: “The sharpest form this takes is lethal violence. We were all horrified by the murder of Ann Widdecombe.” He added this is “part of a concerning trend of violence targeted at political figures, religious or community groups” and more.
The third aspect of MI5's “Protect” mission is “technological resilience.” He said: “My adrenaline thresholds are set pretty high. I am not easy to alarm and neither is my organisation. Today AI is already supercharging the cybersecurity contest between attackers and defenders. It can produce propaganda and radicalising material tailored to the individual. We’ve caught terrorists seeking to exploit AI to improve their reconnaissance and attack methodologies with AI-enabled drones adding a new twist. And not yet realised - but the misuse case to which I’d attach greatest weight - is AI’s potential to change the stakes on existing or even new bio-weapons.”
