UK National Cyber Force gets third commander

The UK’s National Cyber Force has a new commander, who took up the post this week. The individual has not yet been avowed, the formal process by which Britain publicly acknowledges the identity of an intelligence or security figure, as routine security considerations are still being worked through.

They are the third commander of the NCF since it was established in 2020 to bring the country’s offensive cyber capabilities under a single command, run as a partnership between the defence and intelligence communities. The two previous commanders came from either side of that partnership: James Babbage, a GCHQ officer of nearly 30 years, led the force until 2023, when he moved to the National Crime Agency, and Air Vice-Marshal Tim Neal-Hopes, previously director for cyber, intelligence and information integration at Strategic Command, succeeded him in October 2023.

GCHQ confirmed that Neal-Hopes has completed his full tenure and that a new commander has taken up the post. The NCF says it conducts operations daily to counter state threats, support military operations and disrupt terrorists and serious criminals, and its funding is committed to 2030.