12 September 2023 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered) Good afternoon everyone. My name is Jim Hockenhull and I am the Commander of Strategic Command. Strategic Command is a Defence Enterprise organisation. We are privileged to hold some of the Jewels in the Crown of UK Defence. We have world class intelligence, cyber and special forces - recognised by our most important allies as great strengths of UK Defence. But we also hold the driving forces for global operations - the Permanent Joint Headquarters, Defence Support, Defence Medical Services, our Overseas Bases and Defence Digital. Without these crucial capabilities our reach and impact would be severely restricted. We are also the intellectual engine for Defence, in generating new concepts and doctrine and delivering internationally admired Defence education. But the world does not stand still, and we must ensure that our forces are prepared for the challenges now, for what comes next and are planning for the future. Now I believe I am an optimist, despite a lifetime as an intelligence officer. I push back against a narrative that suggests we are a hollow force, or that we don't have enough money. Next year Defence will have an annual budget of over 50 Billion Pounds and we have a remarkable workforce, and we have a strong industrial and scientific base. What we need to be is better. We need to be much more effective and efficient. We need to do this because we owe it to our people and the nation. And the threats we face are greater than at any stage in my career. The scale of complexity and challenge goes beyond anything I have seen in the last 40 years. We have a war in Europe, with Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine, and we have witnessed nuclear rhetoric reminiscent of earlier times. While this is the most evident threat, we need to recognise that some of the older threats like espionage have not gone away. We also have Iran acting as a destabilising force across the Middle East and North Korea continues its threatening behaviour. These actors are also working more closely together, even today we see Kim Jung Un crossing the border to visit Vladimir Putin, we see extensive use of Iranian equipment by Russia in Ukraine. These compound threats increasingly challenge our security. Violent extremism continues to pose threats in a range of locations. And we see democracy challenged, especially in West and Central Africa where there have been 8 coups in the last three years. China poses a systemic challenge to the United Kingdom in a variety of ways, including through its activities in the South China Sea, and we must uphold the International Rules Based Order. There is no longer the luxury of thinking about operations as Home and Away - it is a single continuum. These challenges and others will be super charged by the impact of climate change which will destabilise the situation within and between states. And the UK armed forces play a vital role in keeping the UK safe. The so-called New Domains of Space and Cyber are areas of particular challenge. Whether it is to ramp up Information Operations in an attempt to destabilise our societies, or to directly attack our core capabilities. Indeed, our Cyber Operators are fighting our adversaries every day. Last year there were over 6 million attacks on MOD networks. Our Cyber Warriors are the part of Defence that is most engaged with our adversaries on a consistent basis. And this is not an amateur sport - this is at an Olympic standard all day every day. So how do we Sharpen Defence's edge against this set of threats and challenges. There are three crucial areas - People, Partnerships and Productivity. And all of them are going to benefit from greater integration. So firstly People. And indeed, People First. In Strategic Command we are doing all we can to empower, enable, support and sustain our people. Innovating not just around high tech and what that offers, but also innovating our processes and ways of working. Changing policies and permissions to enable our workforce to make the maximum possible contribution. Some of the big Defence changes under the Haythornthwaite Review will help, but we need to view our workforce as a whole force - regular, reserve, civil servant, contractor, industry and academia. I believe our workforce is going to be much more fluid than in the past. And we need to be willing to adapt to our future workforce rather than expect it to adapt to us. In the Digital and Cyber areas of my business there is a second battle alongside the daily probing and attacks on our networks. And that is the battle for digital talent. This is a battle we must win and is going to require us to do things differently. So today I am announcing the introduction of a Digital Bursary Scheme. We are aiming to inspire young people to study STEM subjects and/or Computer Science at sixth form and then come and be part of our effort to
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