Defence Reform

Nick Smith Excerpts

Monday 27th June 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

The Secretary of State should not be quite so hard on himself.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

Will the Secretary of State tell us more about how these reforms will deter future cyber-attacks?

[Dr Fox]

I was keen to discuss at length with Lord Levene how to create a structure within defence that could offer careers to those who might be attracted to the intellectual, if you like, side of defence—electronic warfare and so on—but who might not want to become commandos. We need to create a pillar inside defence that can grow as the nature of conflict changes. We want to create that expertise and attract those young minds who have a different view of what the electronic and cyberspaces look like and who are interested in a defence career. It is essential that we change how defence does business in order to reflect the genuine threats out there. As we develop that expertise, so we will have a greater ability to deter the sorts of attacks to which the hon. Gentleman referred.