MI6's new chief warns Russia threat is everywhere; tech is key
MI6's new chief warns Russia threat is everywhere; tech is key
New MI6 chief Blaise Metreweli warns the Russia threat is pervasive and calls for tech-first spycraft to counter modern warfare.
London - Blaise Metreweli, the first woman to lead Britain's overseas spy service MI6, is set to deliver a speech outlining a shifting threat landscape. She took the helm in autumn after Sir Richard Moore, and the frontline against threats is, she is expected to say, everywhere, including cyberspace, with Russia described as aggressive, expansionist and revisionist.
The speech will highlight sanctions targeting Russian entities accused of information warfare and two China-based companies for indiscriminate cyber activities against the UK and its allies. Western sanctions have dented Russia's economy and pushed some exports east to China and India, but Vladimir Putin remains determined to wage war on Ukraine until his terms are met.
A key focus will be technology. Metreweli, who rose through MI6's Q Branch, will urge officers to be comfortable with lines of code and to be fluent in Python as well as multiple human languages. The aim is to keep MI6 relevant in an age when biometric checks and digital data can unmask spies at borders.
She will stress that intelligence work now requires blending laboratory innovations with fieldcraft, and that the service must be as adept at cyber as it is at human intelligence. The speech signals a broader strategy to counter Russia while keeping an eye on China and the volatile information environment, underscoring the UK’s push to adapt to a data-driven era of espionage.
