New Army Division To Specialise In Countering Cyber Warfare

The Army has announced the creation of a new infantry division to focus on digital threats.

The brand new 6 (UK) Division will concentrate on cyber warfare, propaganda, intelligence and surveillance.

Senior Army figures say delivering the new generation of armoured vehicles remain today’s top priorities but they must also prepare for tomorrow.

Announcing the launch of 6 (UK) Div, the Head of the Field Army Lieutenant-General Ivan Jones said: "The character of warfare continues to change as the boundaries between conventional and unconventional warfare become increasingly blurred.

"The Army must remain adaptable and evolve as a fighting force."

Forces News has been told the new division will be manned by existing soldiers and specialists with no fresh recruiting or funding.

Instead, 1 Signal Brigade, 11 Signal Brigade, 77 Information Operations Brigade and 1 Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade and the Specialised Infantry Group will form the new division.

Defence analyst Christopher Lee explains how asymmetrical warfare changes military approaches.

"Well it's been going on since the Ancient Greeks, who used to put the dead bodies of their own soldiers against the battlements to make the enemy think there were more live soldiers than there were.

"Basically you're trying to disrupt the enemy, and you can do it electronically now - that's the big difference between us and the Greeks.

"You have to appeal to people's sense of belief, and sense of what might be true."

The new brigade reflects the UK’s increasing concern over Russia’s ambitions in the Baltic states and beyond.

British troops are already in Estonia but the new division could offer a different kind of support in the region.

6 (UK) Div will practice not just defensive cyber warfare but also offensive cyber activities and information ops to counter similar engagement from Moscow.

"The speed of change is moving at a remarkable rate and it will only get faster and more complex," Lt General Jones added.

The Army say the "rebalancing" of their force structures will help them compete with an enemy not just on the battlefield but also in the more hidden domain of cyber and electronic warfare.