UK Edition
Britain's armed forces ill-equipped to deal with cyber attacks from Russia and new era of electronic warfare
Britain's armed forces are ill-equipped to handle the increasing threat of cyber attacks from Russia and a new era of "electronic warfare" because of a shortage of intelligence experts, a new report has suggested.
The National Audit Office revealed that the military is facing a 26 per cent shortfall in intelligence analysts, equivalent to 700 experts, and there are increasing concerns that it will be unable to plug the gap because it is competing with the private sector.
It comes amid reports concern about Russia has successfully used "jamming" technology to disable US drones in Syria, causing operators to lose control of them. There are concerns that the technology could be used to take down planes.
Earlier this week GCHQ and the FBI issued an extraordinary warning that Russia targeting millions of computers in a bid to mount a mass cyber attack against the West and take down critical infrastructure such as energy networks.
The National Audit Office says in its report: "The changing character of warfare means the Department faces an immediate and growing challenge to develop the skills it will need in the future.
"The threats faced by the UK are constantly evolving. For example, the increasing risk of cyber and electronic attacks will change the capabilities – and skills – that the Armed Forces will need in the future.
"The new demands will add to the pressure to increase capability in some trades that already have shortfalls."
Meg Hillier, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, said: "There is a real concern in both civilian and military areas that there is a lack of the specialist skills needed to prevent and deal with cyber attacks. This is a huge task to get the right people trained and in place.
"We have seen from recent events in Salisbury that Russia is prepared to mount attacks on our soil. We should rightly be worried about this and we expect the Government to step up its preparedness."
The National Audit Office said that the military is facing its biggest overall shortfall for a decade, with 8,200 fewer servicemen and women than needed - equivalent to 5.7 per cent.
However it said the figure "masks" much bigger shortfalls in 102 "pinch point" trades in the armed forces, as the military struggles to compete for recruits with the private sector. The figures also showed there is a shortfall of 2,700 engineers, equivalent to 17 per cent, and 800 pilots, equivalent to 23 per cent.
The official financial watchdog said: "The shortfalls could affect the Department’s ability to undertake future missions. They could also place a greater strain on existing personnel, potentially making them less willing to remain in the Armed Forces.
The financial watchdog revealed that the Government does not expect to fill the gaps in 96 of the 102 pinch point trades within the next five years.
It said that the armed forces have been left with the gaps after a wave of redundancies between 2010 and 2015, which included 6,120 servicemen and women from specialisms where there are now shortfalls.
Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, said: “Ensuring the Armed Forces have the right number of skilled personnel in place is not a new challenge, but given the complexity and development of new, modern-world threats, it is a challenge that will only continue to grow. The Department needs to fundamentally change its approach to develop skilled personnel and address the long-established shortfalls that persist.”
An MoD spokesman said recruiting and retaining talent is a "top priority" and there are a range of schemes used to attract and keep skilled personnel.
"The military has enough personnel to meet all its operational requirements, including being active on 25 operations in 30 countries throughout the world," he said."In the past year we have recruited over 13,000 people into the armed forces."