New £50m UK defence centre to open

October 3, 2022

A new £50 million UK centre will support the training of world-class cyber experts, both domestically and internationally, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has announced.

World-class cyber training in the UK to be expanded thanks to £50m investment.
New academy will benefit international partners, including the US, through exchanging knowledge and ideas in cyberspace operations.
Announcement made during defence summit onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth, anchored in New York City.

The announcement comes as UK and US defence chiefs attend the Atlantic Future Forum 2022 in New York City this week.

The two-day forum seeks to advance vital defence, security, trading and economic partnerships between the UK and US, and explore how to boost innovation, economic growth and resilience.

Building on the success of the UK’s Defence Cyber School, the new Defence Cyber Academy will develop sovereign and international courses and support wider UK endeavours in developing the national cyber profession – launching in 2022.

It will bolster the ranks of the UK and international allies, including the United States, training high-quality defence personnel to be at the forefront of cyber technology, strategy and operational preparedness. Closer alliances between our nations, delivered through shared experiences and training, will allow our personnel to better prepare for NATO, joint and multi-domain operations of the future.

Backed by £50 million, the academy will support the wider development of the national cyber profession, as part of the National Cyber Strategy. It will:

Increase the volume and scope of training and education, supporting the growth of Defence’s cyber workforce
Collaborate with global allies, to identify and adopt best-practice, and provide international products and services
Engage with industry and academia to enhance its Higher Education and research programme

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

Defence co-operation between the United Kingdom and the United States is the broadest and deepest of any two countries in the world, and will continue to expand in the coming decades.

The Defence Cyber Academy builds on that collaboration, defining closer integration and shared capability, helping us and our allies counter global cyber security threats, staying one step ahead and at the forefront of this cutting-edge military domain.

Based in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire, the launch of the academy comes after the DCMS revealed cyber-attacks, including espionage activity and ransomware infiltration, across Government has cost an estimated £100 million in the last year.

Commander of Strategic Command, General Sir Jim Hockenhull said:

As Defence’s leader for the cyber domain, Strategic Command is committed to ensuring our personnel have the cyber skills needed to maintain a competitive edge against our adversaries. The Defence Cyber Academy will allow us to expand the training opportunities we offer, and share these with our international allies. This new development will help us share our expertise and better conduct the integrated operations needed in a modern battlespace.

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