Fot. Ian Taylor/Unsplash
Copy link
Send email
The 10th of September at DSEI 2025 in London saw the official launch of a new Fourth Command of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom, the Cyber and Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) which has replaced Strategic Command and according to its Commanding Officer, General Sir Jim Hockenhull, the choice of name defines a transformation in posture, purpose, and mindset”.
Its essential mission is responding to the very serious and unpredictable global threats seen in the rapidly evolving nature of today’s warfare as witnessed in Ukraine and to succeed, the UK must go faster to out-think, out-pace and out-fight its adversaries. The 2025 Strategic Defence Review defined a clear vision to make the UK more secure at home and abroad by a strategy of deterrence and defence to accelerate UK Defence towards warfighting readiness and equipping it for the challenges of the future, most notably through an unwavering commitment to a „NATO First” policy of collective defence.
What will be the purpose of the CSOC?
In short, the Command seeks to provide a coherent, effective and rapid answer to all aspects of the 24/7 constant multi-domain threats in Maritime, Land, Air, Space, Cyber & Electromagnetic spheres which the United Kingdom and its Allies and trusted Partners are facing at an increasingly rapid rate. The widely held Western belief in a post-Cold War „Peace Dividend” led to a progressive weakening of the UK Armed Forces and the resilience factor within society at large. To address this situation, the 2025 UK Strategic Defence Review has highlighted the critical importance of the capabilities provided by the Cyber & Specialist Operations Command – including cyber & electromagnetic, medical, education, intelligence, special forces operations, command and control, and defence diplomacy within an integrated command space.
How is this a change in thinking?
The central philosophy driving all aspects of the culture of the new Command is summed up in the word „Always On”- which displays a readiness for action through vigilance in countering all challenges whether to the UK or the wider NATO collective community from any of the multiple threat domains. This philosophy is best summed up by General Hockenhull who describes his team of specialists in CSOS as problem-solvers by instinct and collaborators by nature, who thrive on complexity and who do not ask can it be done but how can we make this happen?”.
What will define the key roles of CSOC’s specialist operators? Delivering specialist operations and medical support: Commanding and conducting integrated operations to protect the UK and in support of NATO, ensuring warfighting readiness while keeping its forces healthy, fit to fight and ready to respond globally;Constantly combatting Cyber and Electromagnetic Threats: Commanding and delivering advanced cyber and electromagnetic capabilities for military effect, enabling and leading the newly created Defence Cyber and Electro-Magnetic Force to defend all networks and disrupt adversaries from daily cyberattacks such as the estimated 90,000 cyber-attacks from Russian sources within the last two years. CSOC will therefore enable the Defence community to face complex hostile actors, secure operational advantage and provide strategic choices for Ministers and policy decision makers at all levels;Arming Defence with data, information and intelligence: CSOC will lead on ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) to enable effective and rapid decision-making, force protection, and drive targeting across Defence. The Command will operate a data-centric approach and utilize artificial intelligence to deliver coherent, secure and assured information;Advancing the UK’s influence through defence diplomacy: CSOC operatives build enduring relationships through the Integrated Global Defence Network, enhancing coordination, operational effectiveness and the UK’s ability to deter threats and respond to global security challenges;Educating and innovating to prepare Defence for challenges and opportunities: supporting, educating and enabling the next generation of leaders and operators. How will the Cyber & Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) be structured?
CSOC stands as a four-star Command alongside the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, playing a core role in shaping and delivering Defence’s Integrated Force. The level of seniority of Command is reflective of the respect for the highly specialized nature of the operators within CSOC. Building on the legacy of the UK Strategic Command, CSOC’s greatest strength remains its people as it is a force of specialists united by a shared mission, acting with purpose and putting the Defence mission first. A culture of adaptation, innovation, and collaboration is encouraged and fostered to bring solutions from the strength of combined expertise and talent. In this sense the Command takes its inspiration from other previous formations (such as the Special Operations Executive of World War 2) which were historically tasked with bringing a fresh approach through a new way of warfighting. The emphasis was to harness the talents of those whose abilities might otherwise not be fully utilized within conventional military formations.
To refocus CSOC on its core mission two agencies that were previously within the remit of Strategic Command notably the Defence Digital and Defence Support, have been transferred to the newly formed National Armaments Directorate Group (NADG), with whom CSOC will work closely as they jointly deliver systems, infrastructure, platforms and digital services to enable successful mission outcomes.
CSOC now operates under the direction of the newly established Military Strategic Headquarters (MSHQ), who are the single strategic authority for force design, planning, and capability investment. As part of this structure, Commander CSOC now reports directly to the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS).
CSOC is not defined by a single function, but by a wider team-of-teams who deliver complex, integrated efforts. In doing so, it is helping to catalyse a shift in culture across Defence, one that prizes collaboration over control, contribution over ownership and impact over hierarchy.
The Command features over 26,000 people across 130 global sites and has its HQ in Northwood in London. While military personnel, civil servants, contractors, academics and international embeds are all part of the CSOC workforce, there’s also deliberate and close collaboration with the defence industry to act and build on data from the battlefield – a process that’s been highlighted throughout the war in Ukraine.
The following sub-organisations now collectively fall under the umbrella of CSOC:
Permanent Joint Headquarters- NorthwoodThe National Cyber ForceThe Directorate Special ForcesThe Defence Medical ServicesThe Defence AcademyShrivenhamThe Integrated Warfare CentreThe Integrated Global Defence Network A Unified Digital Targeting Web (DTW) to increase lethality
In the digital domain, CSOC will have the operational responsibility for the newly launched Digital Targeting Web platform that will transform the UK’s warfighting capability by 2030. It will bring together in an integrated system the capability for the UK to sense, understand, decide, and act at a pace and scale that outstrips our adversaries.
It will achieve this by fusing intelligence and targeting data through software applications that harness machine learning and Artificial Intelligence to deliver speed, insight, and precision. However, to correctly understand and visualise this capability, it is necessary not to imagine a single platform, product or software suite from one supplier but rather to see an entire digital ecosystem harmonising infrastructure, products, and services. It will bring together the currently fragmented and independent cross-Service targeting and command-and-control systems, data, platforms, and networks to enable the integration of emerging and novel technologies. The challenge will not be simply of a technical nature but rather a challenge of orchestration. harmonization and implementation.
What does this new Command hope to contribute to the overall situation of Defence and Security?
As one of the four UK military commands, CSOC operates at the forefront of modern warfare delivering critical effects to national security and NATO, combining conventional and digital capabilities to deter threats and maintain warfighting readiness. The Command will also contribute to a broader, whole-of-society approach to national resilience by strengthening partnerships across government, industry and society.
The conflict in Ukraine and the recent escalatory attacks on Poland have served to reinforce the need for closer collaboration, not just within UK Defence and with international allies, but with industry partners, who are critical to ensuring that the UK will sustain its operational advantage. As the UK drives towards warfighting readiness and bolstering all aspects of deterrence, it must embed lessons from the frontline at pace by harnessing drones, data and digital warfare and AI to make its Armed Forces stronger, safer and more lethal. This demands joint cycles of innovation between Defence and industry, uniting operational insight and technical ingenuity.
Across all its endeavours, whether it is delivering precision in targeting, leading the new Defence Cyber and Electromagnetic Force or creating unity across the UK Integrated Global Defence Network, CSOC will act with insight, speed and impact. The Command is now and will continue to be indispensable to UK Defence’s ability to protect the nation both at home and overseas. In addition to the UK, CSOC is also a powerful unifying instrument to support and enhance unwaveringly its Allies in strategically vulnerable areas such as Ukraine, Poland and the whole of the Eastern Flank of NATO and this sends a clear message of UK support and real commitment to all its Allies everywhere.
Author: Andrzej Marszewski