The head of Britain’s domestic intelligence service, MI5, has warned that threats from Russia, Iran and emerging artificial intelligence technologies are placing increasing demands on national security agencies.
Sir Ken McCallum said MI5 was dedicating more resources to countering threats from foreign states than it did during the Cold War, describing Russia as the UK’s leading state adversary. Speaking during his annual address at the agency’s headquarters in London, McCallum said threats from foreign adversaries had quadrupled over the past decade. He added that counterterrorism operations and efforts to tackle state-backed threats now required almost equal levels of operational attention.
Russia and Iran Expand Hybrid Warfare
McCallum accused Russia of conducting hybrid warfare designed to destabilise Britain and other European countries without provoking a collective military response from NATO. He said Moscow had stopped short of conventional conflict with the alliance, while its invasion of Ukraine continued at what he described as minimal and extremely costly progress.
According to McCallum, the expulsion of nearly 1,000 Russian intelligence personnel following the invasion had weakened the Kremlin’s traditional covert network in the UK and elsewhere. He said Russia was increasingly turning to criminal proxies to carry out hostile activities.
“With its traditional covert footprint eviscerated by almost 1,000 expulsions since the invasion, the Kremlin’s global toolkit is weak. So we see them scrambling to pay criminals to do their bidding,” he said.
McCallum also warned that Iran was expanding its campaign of hostile activities within Britain. He said authorities had made 50 arrests over Iran-linked activities during the previous year. He added that alleged Iranian aggression had frequently targeted Jewish communities, while some activities had focused on more sensitive locations, including military sites.
Without discussing a specific alleged plot at RAF Fairford, McCallum warned that people carrying out attacks on British streets on behalf of foreign powers would face a firm response. He also said the National Security Act 2023 was being used to address threats linked to China, Iran and Russia.
AI Creates New Security Challenges
McCallum warned that artificial intelligence was already changing the security landscape by helping attackers improve cyber operations, produce personalised propaganda and develop methods for conducting attacks. He said MI5 had identified terrorists attempting to use AI to improve reconnaissance and attack planning, including through AI-enabled drones.
However, he expressed particular concern about the possibility of extremist groups using AI to develop biological weapons. Although he said that threat had not yet materialised, he warned that advances in the technology could significantly increase the danger posed by existing or new biological weapons.
McCallum said MI5, the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) were working with the UK’s AI Security Institute to address emerging risks. He also highlighted the uncertainty surrounding increasingly advanced AI systems. Further saying humanity had no historical experience of confronting an actor more intelligent than humans.
Rising Concerns Over Terrorism
The MI5 chief also warned about the continuing threat from Islamist extremist organisations. This includes al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, as well as growing concerns about extreme right-wing terrorism.
Britain raised its national terrorism threat level to severe in April, meaning an attack was considered highly likely. McCallum said the increase in risk was driven partly by online radicalisation and extremist versions of anti-immigration and anti-Muslim grievances developing into terrorist intentions. He described extreme right-wing terrorism as a threat that increasingly affected young people.
McCallum revealed that MI5 had recently investigated a radicalised 13-year-old in Britain. He said information obtained during the investigation helped an international partner prevent a potentially lethal attack in its own country.
