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Foreign Secretary highlights the value of the intelligence agencies

News article - 10 Mar 2015
 
The Foreign Secretary today spoke at the Royal United Services Institute about the current threat to the UK and the value of the work the intelligence agencies do to keep the country safe.
 
In keeping the country safe GCHQ can only succeed by staying one step ahead of those who wish the UK harm, and to do this we must keep our capabilities secret.
 
We are however able to say something about how our analysts work. Read on for an example of how a potential threat might be identified, what a GCHQ intelligence analyst will do to learn more about it, and what that analyst will do with the information uncovered...
 
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The Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP
 

Who we are

GCHQ is an intelligence and security organisation, working to keep Britain safe and secure in the challenging environment of modern communications.

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What we do

UK citizens today conduct much of their lives over the internet, as do the Government, the Armed Services, Law Enforcement and industry.

For the UK to be safe and successful, the cyber connections and infrastructure we use need to be safe and secure. GCHQ plays a major role in making that a reality using our expertise and experience.

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How we work

GCHQ strives to ensure that life in the UK isn't compromised through cyber attack or on-line serious crime, employing some of the world's leading experts on Information Security.

Everything we do is governed by law, and overseen by the Foreign Secretary and other Ministers.

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Latest news

News

Francis Maude makes announcement as part of National Apprenticeship week.
 
This report examines all aspects of gender diversity across GCHQ, MI5 and SIS. It contains a number of recommendations and comments on where the Agencies are doing well, and also indicates where there is room for improvement.
 
The nomination of The Imitation Game for a number of Oscars at this weekend’s Academy Awards reminds us yet again of the importance of the work of Alan Turing and his colleagues at Bletchley Park.
 
The Investigatory Powers Tribunal judgment reaffirms their main December ruling which found strongly in favour of the Government.
 
GCHQ Language Outreach programme success shared across government. 
   

Press Releases

GCHQ unveils the world’s biggest Raspberry Pi ‘Bramble’ at the Big Bang Fair 2015 at the NEC Birmingham as it attempts to inspire the next generation of young talent to think about a future in science and technology.
 
GCHQ is giving 30 people the chance to gain a unique learning experience on a ground-breaking six-week cyber summer school in the north of England.
 
Computer science students invited to apply for 10-week cyber training programme.
 
 

Support to Military Operations

Today, one of GCHQ's main tasks is to help protect the UK Military wherever they are deployed. This is not a new remit; it is in fact the whole reason GCHQ was formed in the first place.
 
The need to help protect the Military and arm them with the knowledge to keep them one step ahead proved to be the catalyst needed to develop Signals Intelligence at the start of World War One.
 
A lot has changed since 1914. The way the world communicates today is vastly different, but some things remain constant.
 
GCHQ is still committed to supporting the Military.
 
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Our journey

History

GCHQ has been on a long and fascinating journey from the earliest days of the UK's Signals Intelligence effort at the beginning of World War I to the challenging technologies of today.

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Director GCHQ, Robert Hannigan

Director GCHQ writes an opinion piece for the Financial Times

News article - 04 Nov 2014
 
In his first public statement, the new Director GCHQ Robert Hannigan discusses terrorist use of the Internet and how the security and intelligence agencies need greater support from technology companies to tackle this challenge.
 
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Today's technology

GCHQ depends heavily on its use of technology to succeed in its vital intelligence and security mission.

As the digital world changes increasingly rapidly, it demands a furious pace of innovation in our technical systems.

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