UK Ministry of Defence Launches Its First Specialized Cyber Regiment

Recent spikes in cyber-attacks have provoked heated reaction from governments around the world. Nation-state hackers are targeting medical facilities, government agencies and critical infrastructure in their attempts to disrupt business operation, gain intelligence and inflict revenue losses.

Our increased dependency on cyberspace has brought new risks, and the evolution of the threat landscape has become more dangerous.

In an attempt to protect critical systems and networks of Royal Navy and Air Force, the UK Armed Forces has just announced the launch of a specialized Cyber Regiment, formally christened at a ceremony in Blandford on June 1.

“As the character of warfare evolves, and the weapons used to fight those wars shift from the industrial to the information age, digital and cyber capabilities are increasingly relied upon to ensure the nation”s security and the safety of our personnel overseas,” reads the Ministry of Defense (Mod) press release.

Part of the Army”s push to improve its response to the surge of digital threats, the 13th Signal Regiment consists of 250 men and women dedicated to the UK”s defensive cyber capabilities.

“The regiment will consist of several Cyber Protection Teams as well as technical staff who will secure the cyber domain for troops deployed on military operations,” said MoD officials.

The MoD pledged an investment of over £22 million in the center that will house the new cyber unit, with “personnel from 15 different cap badges represented in the first intake, plus specialist Royal Navy and RAF personnel.”

This is a step-change in the modernisation of the UK Armed Forces for information warfare,” Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said. “Cyber-attacks are every bit as deadly as those faced on the physical battlefield, so we must prepare to defend ourselves from all those who would do us harm and 13th Signal Regiment is a vital addition to that defence.”

It”s become vital for governments to step up their game in cyber-warfare, and the recent launch of the specialized regiment is expected to safeguard crucial military infrastructure against digital threats that could potentially cripple military operations and leak sensitive data.