Following the release of the UK Ministry of Defence’s Cyber Resilience Policy for Defence;

Harry Boneham, Aerospace Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, shares his view:

“The war in Ukraine has brought into sharper focus the pressing need for Western countries to critically assess and address potential defense vulnerabilities, including in cyberspace. The policy recognizes this, noting that success in all operational domains is critically reliant upon security and resilience in the cyber and electromagnetic ecosystem. In the Integrated Operating Concept published last year, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) claims that effective integration of space, cyber and electromagnetic, maritime, air, and land domains will achieve a tactical effect which is greater than the sum of its parts. However, this effect is only as potent as the strength – or vulnerability – of the weakest domain.

“In order to secure the cyber domain, the MoD has set a pacey ambitious schedule; with critical UK defense functions to be hardened against cyber-attacks by 2026 and all UK defense organizations to be resilient by 2030. The UK has invested significantly in cybersecurity in recent years, with GlobalData figures showing an increase from $289 million in 2020 to a forecasted $639 million in 2030. However, as global investment in cyberspace continues to grow, further investment may be necessary to attain the paper’s stated goals in the designated timeframe.

“A key cyber vulnerability area is data residing in industry. To secure this data, the paper calls for an overall tightening of the relationship between government and contractors. This is arguably a prudent action, with each of the over 800 new contracts awarded annually by Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) representing a potential loss of sensitive information. In a geopolitical context where discussion of military action by China and Russia is no longer academic, it’s more critical than ever that defense data is secured at every point in supply chains.”