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LONDON — The United Kingdom has formally acknowledged cyberwarfare as a central component of its national defense strategy, as outlined in its 2025 Strategic Defence Review (SDR) published on June 2, 2025. For the first time, the UK is openly integrating cyber operations, artificial intelligence (AI), and electromagnetic warfare (CyberEM) into its broader military doctrine across land, sea, air, space, and digital domains.
According to Kevin Townsend, writing for SecurityWeek, this marks a significant public shift in the UK’s posture toward offensive cyber capabilities, which, until now, were largely kept under wraps despite long-standing speculation and leaks—such as Operation Socialist, in which UK signals intelligence agency GCHQ was revealed to have carried out cyberattacks on Belgian telecom firm Belgacom between 2010 and 2013.
CyberEM as the Core of Modern Conflict
The 2025 SDR declares CyberEM the “heart of modern warfighting,” emphasizing its unique role as the only operational domain under daily hostile engagement. UK military systems reportedly faced 90,000 “gray zone” cyberattacks over the last two years—covert operations intended to destabilize or undermine without provoking a conventional military response.
While individual UK military branches already conduct cyber and electromagnetic operations, the SDR proposes the creation of a new CyberEM Command, which will act as a central coordination hub rather than an executor of operations. This command would oversee strategy development, capability integration, and alignment with NATO frameworks, while also working closely with industry partners and the UK’s intelligence agencies: MI5, MI6, and GCHQ.
“To maximize the benefits of cutting-edge technology and of the common digital architecture, Defence must also make a concerted effort to develop the necessary digital, AI, cyber, and electromagnetic warfare skills that are central to modern warfighting,” the report states.
The Rise of the Digital Warfighter
Among the more tangible changes introduced in the review is the Digital Warfighter group, supported by a targeting web—a common data infrastructure connecting sensors, decision-makers, and weapons platforms across domains. This system enables the rapid selection and engagement of targets, using everything from F-35 jets and drones to offensive cyber operations.
The SDR points to Ukraine’s battlefield innovations as a clear influence on this model of digital-targeted warfare, stating:
“A target might be identified by a sensor on a ship or in space before being disabled by an F-35 aircraft, drone, or offensive cyber operation. Informed by AI and supported by a common synthetic environment, the targeting web epitomizes how the Integrated Force must fight and adapt. Its very existence contributes to deterrence.”
A Strategic Repositioning Amid Geopolitical Shifts
While the review is driven in part by lessons from Ukraine’s resilience against Russian aggression, it also reflects wider geopolitical shifts, including U.S. foreign policy under President Trump, whose criticisms of NATO have pushed European allies to re-evaluate their dependence on American military support.
The SDR reinforces the UK’s commitment to NATO, but signals a more self-reliant and assertive stance, with expanded defense funding and an emphasis on integrated offensive and defensive capabilities—particularly in cyberspace.
Ultimately, the 2025 review confirms that the future of warfare is digital—with cyber capabilities no longer in the shadows but instead playing a central and coordinated role in UK defense planning.
Excerpts from Kevin Townsend article on securityweek
