RUSI JournalVOLUME 169ISSUE 5

Moving Towards a Secret Intelligence Joint Capability?

An aerial image of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Courtesy of GCHQ / Crown Copyright

An aerial image of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Courtesy of GCHQ / Crown Copyright


The UK’s intelligence collection agencies should enable the closest possible working relationship while retaining their individual identities.

Former UK intelligence chiefs Alex Younger and Jeremy Fleming recently suggested that the country’s three intelligence collection agencies should be seen as a capability, questioning whether they should even still be separate. Celia Parker-Vincent and Michael Goodman explain what might be lost in blurring or removing their distinct identities and suggest that finding a way to enable the closest possible working between the agencies is the key to facing today’s threats and ever-more complex operating environment. The UK should look to its Five Eyes partners, specifically the US and Australia, for inspiration. With one of the pre-eminent intelligence apparatuses in the world, the new UK government should make sure there is no risk to the country losing its strong position.

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WRITTEN BY

Celia Parker-Vincent

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Michael S Goodman

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