There is a lot of news this week about International Security, but none of it is good. What links the wars in Ukraine (and Russia), the Middle East and British Defence Strategy? In a word – Regression. Putin’s refusal to meet Zelenskyy as the war stagnates; Trump’s continued miscalculation about Iran; and the Treasury’s refusal to fully fund the re-equipment of British military forces are three related themes that have been running through most of 2026, but the Media have been very poor at bringing fresh stories to the public about important issues for the country, such as the failure of Ajax to meet its in service date. However, rather than dwell on these tired stories, I thought I would complete my triptych of intelligence blogs because I was struck by what C had to say yesterday.
Listening to the Chief of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service between 2020 and 2025 on Test Match Special, there were five observations that caught my attention. The first heartening statement was that the intelligence relationship between the USA and UK is in good shape despite political differences. The second, which I thoroughly agree with, was his suggestion that now is probably not the most dangerous period since World War II, quoting the Cuban Missile Crisis and the early 1980s as being closer to Armageddon. He qualified this by doubting whether President Putin was thinking of nuclear options for Ukraine (he would know better than I).
However, it was his other assertions that really opened my eyes. The admission about the ineffectiveness of the UN Security Council was not surprising in itself, but the fact that there seems to be no British intelligence efforts to strengthen the international order does surprise me. The final comment that pricked my ear was his confession that the CIA and our Secret Intelligence Services were embedded deeply in each others work at all levels. Effectively, he was admitting that Britain’s intelligence community has regressed so much that it is no longer independent.
Now we know from Ralph Peters that the USA loves instability in other countries and that it regularly works to undermine governments that it disagrees with; we also know that politically the USA opposes constitutional monarchies. If that does not sway the argument for an independent British intelligence community then the economic case should. At the moment there is absolutely no military threat to Britain from China; however Beijing and Washington are military adversaries in the Pacific and intense rivals to be the top economic power in the World. In this current volatile climate, we need to be very careful about allowing MI6 to undermine our government’s trade options by allowing the CIA access to our political thinking.
Ajax In The News Again
Rupert Wieloch 