British Army pulls up its SOC: New regiment to do infosec work even civvies will recognise The British Army has raised a new regiment that will take charge of its in-house security operations centre, a move calculated to make cyber defence a more mainstream part of all things armed and camouflaged. The 250-strong 13th Signal Regiment was formally "stood up"* on 1 June at Blandford Forum, the Dorset HQ of the Royal …
I take it that's in response to Defence secretary Ben Wallace making a dick of himself by saying:
"Cyber-attacks are every bit as deadly as those faced on the physical battlefield..."
Probably written by someone other than him but that won't stop an angry RSM from giving him a demonstration:
"Sir, if you could hand me your phone. We're going to simulate a cyber attack by stamping on it..."
"Don't worry, all backed up daily", Ben lied.
"...and then we're going to shoot you in the stomach".
I know that's not funny but neither is a clueless defence secretary.
I know that's not funny but neither is a clueless defence secretary. ..... Anonymous Coward
It's not funny either that they are stood up by and serve at the pleasure of a then equally clueless wannabe prime minister or president ....... although there is nothing at all in such a move to not suggest such a leadership then may have no clueless equal and the boss themselves be a right exceptional prima donna.
Such doesn't bode well for a bright future in times and spaces dealing with emergency situations because of a hitherto unknown virile enemy ......with devastating non-discriminatory bugs.
Are Ministry of Defence Joint Intelligence Chiefs responsible for defence and attack in those realms or are they tasked with them by servants of the private sector who sought election to offices which only survive dependent upon the uninterrupted flow of public taxation and the continued ignorance of populations......... for the lifelines of quantitive easings [vast mountains of freshly invented fiat currency ] are counter-productive and revealing of too much to the masses?
All in all, to sum it up in a few choice words most everybody anywhere can surely understand ....... 'Tis Yet Another Right Royal Rolls Royce of a Systemic FCUK Up ‽
A cyber attack on your Battlefield Comms system would make the troops in the field very, very vunerable. The RSM (shudder, I felt the wrath of one myself) in your example would feel a but lost without orders coming from above.
I've seen the Royal Signals in action in Germany when we were field testing the original Wavell System in 1978.
The Signals people were the most clued up people we worked with unlike the numpties who made up most of the Intelligence Officers. They were very willing to accept new technology if they could see it making their job better.
The Signals people were the most clued up people we worked with unlike the numpties who made up most of the Intelligence Officers. They were very willing to accept new technology if they could see it making their job better. .... Anonymous Coward
Now that is excellent news, AC. And most encouraging.
Are they already amongst us all here on El Reg servers? Would posts in comments reveal their missions?
It's impossible to not say No and Yes to such questions. Although of course, YMMV.
Crikey, that would make El Reg a Vitalising Virtual Cog in a Novel Advanced IntelAIgent Infrastructure Program/Pogrom/Project/Passion.
:-) What's not to like and love?
Quote: "...make cyber defence ... more mainstream..."
*
Ah......don't you love the politically correct language? Of course it's about "defence"!! No possibility at all that it could be about "attack" or "war", is there?
*
Once upon a time, and not so long ago, things were more honest.....when we had a "Ministry of War". But that sort of thing today is strictly for others....our "allies" or our "enemies"....of course we only do "defence" now!!!!
In order to be successful at defense you also have to be good at attack. This would essentially require that the Army, train or employ quite a few Leet Hackorz...I wonder how they will go about that ? ..... Khaptain
Quite so, Khaptain, but that aint gonna happen with Colonel Blimp types at the Controls of Command.
Many/Some/A few would tell you in confidence and/or in secret what is truly needed are the likes of David Stirling/Robert Blair Mayne type Operands ...... Friendly Renegade Rogue Ruffians and Almighty Private Pirates into Creating CHAOS and Disruptive Conflict in the Midst of Markets Dealing Madness and Mayhem.
In order to be successful at defense you also have to be good at attack. This would essentially require that the Army, train or employ quite a few Leet Hackorz... ....... Khaptain
Actually, it is nowhere near being quite so simple, Khaptain, for in order to be effective and successful in either cyber defence or virtual attack, a few Leet Hackorz are needed to train and employ MOD forces and sources, and that is problematical for Ministries and Departments of Defence and Defense ........ for defending the indefensible in support of the maintenance and retention of a status quo perversion and protection of the inequitable is never ever an interesting and thoroughly rewarding goal for anyone/anything used to exercising intelligence and being used intelligently.
So ....... despite any initial euphoria which might accompany such a development as the standing up of a 250-strong 13th Signal Regiment to be more active with proactivity in sensitive combative communications fields, they are destined and guaranteed to suffer constant defeat doing battle with a relatively anonymous phantom-like enemy of their own invention, whenever such as is revealed above is their Prime Directive and Overarching Mission.
However ..... a simple fundamental change in Prime Directive and Overarching Mission radically changes the guaranteed outcome with novel results.
Post them to GCHQ. Problem solved. ..... Steve Davies 3
I'm much more comfortable in the thought that GCHQ has that problem well solved already some time ago ..... allowing them to stay ahead of the future curves and in somewhat of a leading position.
It would be very remiss of them not to have expected such alternative interests as essential for the exercising of future remote virtual command and control programs presenting Novel AI Reality Projects.
Are GCHQ responsible and accountable for Assisting or Resisting Engagement and Exercise of such Fine Prime Assets ....... or even unbelievably totally disinterested ‽
This regiment could really benefit from having additional territorial regiments.
Many civvies have immense hacking talents and would like to give back something.
Also and believe me or not I am being serious, many geeks who may not be the most macho, would love a pic of them in uniform to impress their family (and discretely on dating sites), even if the only time they wore the uniform was for the picture. Maybe a uniform with some sci fi touches.
Yeah the "well-known shortage of skilled infosec personnel in the Army", except they keep recruiting them then don't use them for anything, or worse, post them out to a RADAR Det to "broaden their training".
It's also worth noting that there's been an infosec reserve in place for over 20 years, but it's embarrasing having to use the reserve all the time so they don't.
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