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Bill Burns is director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, Richard Moore is chief of the UK Secret Intelligence Service
Two years ago, we celebrated 75 years of partnership; 75 years since the CIA was founded in 1947. But the bonds between US and UK intelligence go back even further, closer to the founding of SIS in 1909 when we first witnessed, together, the horror of state-on-state violence in Europe.
Today, after the closest of collaborations through the first world war, second world war and cold war, followed by a shared struggle against international terrorism, that partnership lies at the beating heart of the special relationship between our countries. We have no more trusted or esteemed allies.
But the challenges of the past are being accelerated in the present, and compounded by technological change. Today, we co-operate in a contested international system where our two countries face an unprecedented array of threats.
The CIA and SIS stand together in resisting an assertive Russia and Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine. We saw it coming, and were able to warn the international community so we could all rally to Ukraine’s defence. We carefully declassified some of our secrets as a new and effective part of this effort.
Staying the course is more vital than ever. Putin will not succeed in extinguishing Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence. Russia’s actions are a flagrant breach of the UN Charter and global norms. We will continue to aid our brave, resolute Ukrainian intelligence partners. We are proud to do so, and stand in awe of Ukraine’s resilience, innovation and élan.
This conflict has demonstrated that technology, deployed alongside extraordinary bravery and traditional weaponry, can alter the course of war. Ukraine has been the first war of its kind to combine open-source software with cutting-edge battlefield technology, harnessing commercial and military satellite imagery, drone technology, high and low sophistication cyber warfare, social media, open-source intelligence, uncrewed aerial and seaborne vehicles and information operations — as well as human and signals intelligence — at such incredible pace and scale. Most of all, it has underlined the imperative to adapt, experiment and innovate.
Beyond Ukraine, we continue to work together to disrupt the reckless campaign of sabotage across Europe being waged by Russian intelligence, and its cynical use of technology to spread lies and disinformation designed to drive wedges between us.
In the 21st century, crises don’t come sequentially. While significant attention and resources are being deployed against Russia, we are acting together in other places and spaces to counter the risk of global instability.
For both the CIA and SIS, the rise of China is the principal intelligence and geopolitical challenge of the 21st century, and we have reorganised our services to reflect that priority. Meanwhile, counterterrorism remains core to our partnership, and we work closely with others to protect our homelands and thwart the resurgent threat of Isis.
In the Middle East, SIS and the CIA have exploited our intelligence channels to push hard for restraint and de-escalation. Our services are working ceaselessly to achieve a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza, which could end the suffering and appalling loss of life of Palestinian civilians and bring home the hostages after 11 months of hellish confinement by Hamas. Bill has played a hands-on role in bringing the negotiating parties together with help from our Egyptian and Qatari friends. We continue to work together to deescalate tensions in the region.
Maintaining technological advantage is vital to ensuring our shared intelligence advantage. SIS and the CIA cannot do this alone — our partnership is augmented by a network of partnerships with the private sector.
We are now using AI, including generative AI, to enable and improve intelligence activities — from summarisation to ideation to helping identify key information in a sea of data. We are training AI to help protect and “red team” our own operations to ensure we can still stay secret when we need to. We are using cloud technologies so our brilliant data scientists can make the most of our data, and we are partnering with the most innovative companies in the US, UK and around the world.
In all of this work, our outstanding people, the very best exemplars of selfless public service and patriotism, are at the heart of our mission. Our partnership is built on our work together across technology, analysis and clandestine operations overseas — including agent relationships. These are the brave men and women who work with our officers to stop the bombs, end the violence and inform us of our adversaries’ intent.
There is no question that the international world order — the balanced system that has led to relative peace and stability and delivered rising living standards, opportunities and prosperity — is under threat in a way we haven’t seen since the cold war. But successfully combating this risk is at the very foundation of our special relationship. Trust, openness, constructive challenge, friendship. These characteristics can be relied upon into the next century, as can our shared determination to remain champions for global peace and security.