UK government ploughs £50m into cyber training centre

Facility will train “world-class cyber experts” both in the UK and internationally, defence secretary Ben Wallace claims

The government is spending £50m on expanding a cyber training centre in the UK which it claims will skill up cyber defence personnel and increase cooperation with the US.

The facility, based in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire, will benefit international partners, including the US, by exchanging knowledge and ideas in cyberspace operations, the Ministry of Defence claims.

The new Defence Cyber Academy will develop sovereign and international courses to support the UK's goal in advancing the national cybersecurity profession.

DCMS statistics show that cyberattacks across the government, including espionage activity and ransomware, cost an estimated £100m last year.

Defence secretary Ben Wallace said: "Defence co-operation between the United Kingdom and the United States is the broadest and deepest of any two countries in the world and will continue to expand in the coming decades.

"The Defence Cyber Academy builds on that collaboration, defining closer integration and shared capability, helping us and our allies counter global cyber security threats, staying one step ahead and at the forefront of this cutting-edge military domain."

The government launched its first ever Cybersecurity Strategy at the beginning of the year with the goal of boosting the resilience of key services.

The initative was backed by £37.8m in investment and involved the creation of a new Government Cyber Coordination Centre (GCCC) to help coordinate cybersecurity efforts across the public sector.