UK launches new approach to tackling overseas and domestic security threats

The UK government has announced that it will take a new integrated approach that combines how it tackles overseas and domestic security threats.

Cabinet office minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe made the announcement in a speech at the Royal United Services Institute on 26 February.

The change is to be underpinned by the transition of the UK Government’s Conflict, Stability & Security Fund (CSSF) into a new Integrated Security Fund (ISF) in April.

The CSSF was a cross-government fund that tackled security challenges overseas that threatened UK national security. The ISF will continue this work helping to deliver the government’s national security objectives.

The government says this transformation is a natural evolution that recognises many global challenges, also threaten the UK. This includes terrorism, cyber security and people smuggling.

The new ISF is intended to build on the success of the CSSF to combine the overseas and domestic security response to tackle transnational challenges threatening the UK and its partners. It is hoped the integrated approach will help to address key challenges such as causes of instability and conflict, serious and organised crime, smuggling, illicit finance and cyber-attacks.

The ISF will have six focus areas including:combating state threats to the UK and its interests from state-level actors, such as Russia; combating non-state threats to the UK and its interests from terrorist groups, violent extremists, and criminal gangs; and defending against malicious cyber activity.

The other focuses are: improving understanding of the maritime domain and combating maritime threats to the UK, its allies and partners; deploying effective economic deterrents to counter hostile acts; addressing the causes of instability in conflict and helping those worst affected by it, including women and girls.

Minister Neville-Rolfe told delegates at RUSI on Monday: “The security challenges we face do not respect borders, they can happen anywhere and come from any place, at any time.

“For example, Serious Organised Crime Groups operate in multiple countries inside and outside the UK.

“We need to be able to work across borders and that is what the ISF is designed to do.”