Can we brainwash our enemies?

Disinformation is on the rise, and Britain’s spies are on the back foot. Our intelligence leaders warn about election meddling, and our enemies are trying to undermine public trust in our national institutions. The United Kingdom needs to use covert means to disrupt anti-British activities at their source. That’s what Harold Macmillan said in the 1950s, shortly before becoming prime minister.

Over half a century later, in 2017, the Chief of MI6 made the same point: adversaries should be ‘playing in their half of the pitch not ours.’ And half a decade on from that, here we are again. This week’s intriguing peek into the secretive work of the National Cyber Force conjures the old saying: the more things change, the more they stay the same.

The National Cyber Force – a group of combined personnel from GCHQ, MI6, and the Ministry of Defence – released a document on Tuesday called ‘Responsible Cyber Power in Practice’, laying out the way they work.