UK appoints new commander of National Cyber Force

The new commander of the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Force (NCF) stepped into the role this week, according to sources with knowledge of the appointment.

The individual has not yet been avowed — the formal process in Britain by which an intelligence or security figure’s identity is publicly acknowledged — as routine security considerations are still being worked through.

They will be the third commander to lead the NCF since it was established in 2020 to consolidate Britain’s offensive cyber capabilities under a unified command, as a partnership between the defense and intelligence communities.

The NCF’s two previous commanders were drawn from either side of that partnership. The inaugural commander, James Babbage, came from the intelligence world, having been an officer at GCHQ for nearly 30 years before his identity was avowed in early 2023 as the force published its first public doctrine paper.

Babbage led the NCF until later that year, when he joined the National Crime Agency where he is currently the director general for threats, attempting to reduce serious and organized crime.

His successor, Air Vice-Marshal Tim Neal-Hopes, joined in October 2023 from the armed forces, where he had served as director for cyber, intelligence and information integration at Strategic Command.

The NCF’s other constituent partners — the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory — have not yet contributed commanders.

The force is described as carrying out operations on a daily basis to counter state threats, support military operations and disrupt terrorists and serious criminals.

In its 2023 paper, the NCF presented the country as a “responsible and democratic cyber power,” arguing that its offensive operations — unlike the reckless attacks the British government has attributed to states such as Russia and China — are “accountable,” “precise” and “calibrated.”

Yet while the paper introduced what it called “the doctrine of cognitive effect,” it provided little detail on how ethical standards are applied in practice to cyber operations. Many such operations are regarded as necessarily covert, on the grounds that secrecy is essential to achieving their intended effect.

Plans to establish the force’s permanent headquarters, a purpose-built campus at Samlesbury in Lancashire, were described as “progressing as scheduled” earlier this year. The government funding for the NCF has been committed to 2030.

A spokesperson for GCHQ said: “We can confirm Air Vice-Marshal Tim Neal-Hopes, CB, OBE has completed his full tenure as Commander National Cyber Force, and a new Commander has now taken up the post.”