The UK made a groundbreaking public announcement on Sunday that it is not only developing a cyber military force to prevent cyber attack, but also developing its capability to launch cyber attacks.
It will start recruiting for a Joint Cyber Reserve Unit next month, reports the BBC. A Ministry of Defence (MoD) statement says that, in forming the unit, it will “draw on individuals’ talent, skills, and expertise gained from their civilian experience to meet these threats.”
The Daily Mail reports the development of this force will cost about 500 million pounds (about $800 million).
Defense Secretary Philip Hammond told the Daily Mail cyber strikes could disable enemy communications and weapons without bloodshed. He said warfare is going beyond the domains of land, sea, air, and space. It is now entering the cyber realm.
“This is the new frontier of defense. For years, we have been building a defensive capability to protect ourselves against these cyber attacks. That is no longer enough,” he said.
“You deter people by having an offensive capability. We will build in Britain a cyber strike capability so we can strike back in cyber space against enemies who attack us.”
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