“Alex Younger has played a vital part alongside me in modernising SIS and ensuring that the Service is in the best possible shape to play our part in defending the country’s security and our values.”

Sir John Sawers

Alexander William Younger CMG (born 4 July 1963) is a career British intelligence officer for the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) who, from November 2014 has served as the Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service, succeeding Sir John Sawers on his retirement. Follow us on Twittter: @INTEL_TODAY

Head of MI6: Alex Younger

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Alex Younger, a career spy who has worked in the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) for more than 20 years, was appointed as the new head of MI6 in October 2014. He replaced Sir John Sawers. Here are his views on some current issues:

Information Revolution

The information revolution has fundamentally changed the operating environment for the intelligence community.

The information revolution represents both an “existential threat and a golden opportunity”.

The “internet of things” could bring new threats.

“There will be two sorts of intelligence services: those that understand this fact [the importance of the Information Revolution] and have prospered and those that don’t and haven’t. I am determined that MI6 will be in the former category.”

Islamic Terrorism

The Islamist terrorist threat to the West will endure for years to come because simply taking back territory from Islamic State will not solve the deeper global fractures which have fostered militants.

“Regrettably this is an enduring issue which will certainly be with us for our professional lifetime.”

“It is fuelled by a deepening sectarian divide in the Middle East and there are some deep social, economic and demographic drivers to the phenomenon we know as terrorism.”

ISIS

Mosul and Raqqa may be re-taken from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant… There could be a continuing Sunni insurgency, its ideology having spread too far to be destroyed quickly.

RUSSIA

Dealing with his Russian counterparts can be “very frustrating”.

SNOWDEN

Snowden had undermined trust between intelligence agencies and technology companies, and been “highly problematic”.

Britain’s MI6 chief warns of ‘unprecedented’ terror threat to UK

In his first major public speech since taking the top job at the Secret Intelligence Service in 2014, Alex Younger, said the continuing war posed a major risk to Britain.

“The scale of the threat is unprecedented. The UK intelligence and security services have disrupted 12 terrorist plots in the UK since June 2013. And MI5 and the police continue to run hundreds of investigations into those intent on carrying out or supporting terrorist atrocities against our citizens,” said Younger.

Since the London attacks in 2005, that killed 52 people, the UK has been largely spared from Islamist inspired terrorism.

However, the MI6 chief, said that Britain also faced a threat from ‘hybrid warfare’ from hostile states attempting to undermine western democracies.

Without identifying any country, he said that cyber attacks, propaganda and the subversion of the democratic process represented a fundamental threat to sovereignty. [euronews]

REFERENCES

New head of MI6 named: Alex Younger ‘delighted’ to become real-life ‘M’ of Secret Service

MI6 chief says information revolution is ‘existential threat and golden opportunity’

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Who Is Who in World Intelligence and Security Agencies : MI6 Alex Younger

Who Is Who in World Intelligence and Security Agencies : MI6 Alex Younger [2017]