UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has publicly confirmed the existence of an organisation established to assess the threat of hostile state activity and inform the UK government's response.
The Joint State Threats Assessment Team (JSTAT) was created in 2017 in response to the increased and evolving threat the UK faces from hostile states such as Russia but has functioned under cover until this week. But the Indian-origin Cabinet minister has decided to remove the covers from the undercover outfit to function more actively across different government departments.
"We continue to face a very real and serious threat from states who seek to undermine and destabilise this country to pursue their own agendas, said Patel.
"It is vital that we continue to gain a deeper understanding of the wide-range of threats we face in order to take robust action to protect our national security. JSTAT has enhanced our capabilities and understanding of the state-based threats we face and will continue to do so in order to protect us at home and abroad, she said.
Based inside MI5's headquarters in London, the independent unit of intelligence specialists provides early warnings and advice to the government on potential threats by hostile states including the deployment of spies, assassinations, attempts to disrupt elections and cyber attacks.
Patel said the decision to publicly unveil JSTAT has been taken in order to maximise its utility to the national security community, enabling greater engagement with stakeholders, industry and academics.
It will also allow for broader communication of the threats to government departments and agencies, as well as partners across the private and charitable sectors, ensuring they have access to information to better protect themselves.
Like other independent assessment bodies, including the joint terrorism analysis centre, JSTAT reports to a governance board comprising senior officials from across the UK intelligence community and wider government departments. The Director General of MI5, Andrew Parker, has ultimate responsibility for the organisation.