Shadow of War: Why the UK Is Reshaping Its Military Intelligence
So, there’s some major news unfolding in the UK’s defence world, and it’s all centred around a pretty serious warning issued by Defence Minister Al Carns. He’s been speaking very openly about what he calls the “shadow of war knocking on Europe’s door,” and this message comes at a moment when the UK is making one of its biggest intelligence shake-ups in years.
What’s happening right now is that the Ministry of Defence is pulling together all the separate intelligence teams across the armed forces and placing them under one unified structure called the Military Intelligence Services, or MIS. Instead of intelligence being split between the Royal Navy, the British Army, the RAF, UK Space Command, and other headquarters, everything will now be funnelled through a single organisation. The idea is simple but crucial: information has to be gathered, analysed, and shared much faster, especially now that hostile intelligence activity against the UK has surged by more than 50% in just one year.
This overhaul didn’t come out of nowhere. It follows the Strategic Defence Review, which laid out the vulnerabilities and recommended tightening the intelligence network. And alongside the MIS, the government is setting up a dedicated Defence Counter-Intelligence Unit, aimed at stopping foreign interference before it can cause real harm. To support this, a brand-new Defence Intelligence Academy will train specialists in everything from satellite data analysis to counter-espionage.
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During the official launch at RAF Wyton—which is already the largest Five Eyes intelligence hub in the world—Al Carns made it clear that Europe isn’t dealing with “wars of choice” anymore, but “wars of necessity.” He pointed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a stark reminder that threats can spill over at any time. He also urged NATO countries to spend more on defence so that Europe isn’t overly dependent on the US and can respond with real force if needed.
At the same event, officials revealed just how wide the threat map has grown. Intelligence pressure is coming primarily from Russia, China, and Iran, and it’s targeting both military personnel and equipment. A recent inquiry into the poisoning of Dawn Sturgess underscored how aggressively foreign intelligence services are now operating well beyond what used to be considered “normal espionage.”
Carns also emphasised that the British public needs to understand that these overseas threats directly affect daily life—things like fuel prices, food supply, and national infrastructure. And his message echoed warnings from NATO’s Mark Rutte, who recently said Europe must be prepared for a scale of conflict not seen since the time of our grandparents.
All of this is happening while the UK boosts its defence spending to 2.6% of GDP by 2027, marking the biggest sustained increase since the Cold War. And with Russian vessels increasingly showing up around UK waters—just this week a submarine was tracked in the English Channel—the timing of this intelligence transformation feels anything but accidental.
In short, the UK is shifting into a new, more alert posture, and Al Carns is making sure the country understands why.
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