Acting Responsibly in Cyberspace I
As the Associate Programme Director hosting the event, this was a fascinating dialogue on a topic close to my heart, and a great first dialogue to deliver in my role. I had wanted to be involved with Wilton Park in some capacity since starting my career as a civil servant in 2003, some twenty years earlier.
What particularly interested me in terms of impact was hearing, over 12 months later, about one of the significant wins from the dialogue. It helped to open and normalise dialogue between nations on the responsible use of cyber power. It created a space in which participants could openly explore how cyber capabilities could be used proportionately and responsibly. This exchange of perspectives laid some of the foundations for the environment into which the National Cyber Force (NCF) later published Responsible Cyber Power in Practice. In this document, it shared the Doctrine of Cognitive Effects and became the first nation with an offensive cyber capability to openly publish its doctrine and explain the mechanisms it uses to ensure that its actions in cyberspace are proportionate, accountable and reasonable.
At the heart of the UK’s Cyber Strategy was a desire to be a recognised and leading cyber power through our adherence to those principles. For offensive cyber, often clouded in secrecy, the challenge had always been working out what level of public discourse and critical conversation should be had on this sensitive field of modern-day statecraft.
I am pleased that, as a result of the dialogue we created – enabling people to come together across nations to discuss what the concept of responsible cyber power actually means – it led to the UK being a pioneer regarding national doctrine on offensive cyber and showcasing the very considerations they use to ensure they act responsibly.
Now in 2026, I find myself supporting the Royal United Services Institute think tank, which is working on behalf of the National Cyber Force to establish the UK Cyber Effects Network across academia, industry and government. The Network seeks to build and strengthen a community of interest focused on cyber effects issues. It aims to generate new thinking on the theory and practice of offensive cyber operations, and help develop the next generation of UK experts, all through ensuring open and critical public dialogue on what has previously been limited to the classified corridors of government buildings.
