Homeland Security Group
The Homeland Security Group was created in April 2021[1] and is the new name for the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism in the Home Office. Like the OSCT the HSG is one of the ‘seven Agencies and Departments which form the UK Intelligence Community’.[2][3]
The other six agencies are:
- MI5 (the Security Service);
- MI6 (the Secret Intelligence Service);
- GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters);
- Defence Intelligence in the Ministry of Defence;
- the Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO) in the Cabinet Office;
- the National Security Secretariat (NSS) in the Cabinet Office;
Constituent bodies
- Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU)
- Joint Security and Resilience Centre[4]
- Homeland Security Group Science and Technology Unit
- Cyber Policy Unit[5]
People
Directors
- Chloe Squires - From 1 April 2021 Squires is 'Director General for Homeland Security at the Home Office and Senior Responsible Officer for Counter Terrorism'. She 'has been with the Home Office since 2019 and has spent over a decade working across the national security community. Before joining the Home Office, she was Director of Strategy at the National Cyber Security Centre.'[6] 'Prior to this appointment, she was Director National Security in the Home Office (from May 2019) and led on a range of national security issues including aspects of Counter Terrorism, the domestic response to Hostile State Activity, implementation of the UK’s Investigatory Powers Act and associated oversight mechanisms, the operational relationship with MI5 and the use of national security related immigration and disruption powers. After graduating with a degree in History from Oxford University, Chloe joined the UK Civil Service Fast Stream. She has spent most of her career working in the national security sphere on both domestic and international issues including stints in the FCDO and Cabinet Office. Amongst other areas she has led on NATO, national security legislation and compliance and crisis management. Cyber Security has been a theme throughout Chloe’s career, having jointly authored the UK’s first Cyber Security Strategy. She has since worked as both Director Cyber in the FCDO and as Director of Strategy, as part of the team who set up the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre in 2016 in GCHQ.[7]
Other staff
- Chris Barrett Allen - Senior Policy Manager - Homeland Security Group · UK Home Office, Mar 2022 – Present.
- Strategy Lead – Joint Extremism Unit Ministry of Justice UK Jul 2019 - Mar 2022
- Home Office
- Head Of Secretariat (acting) – Office for Security and Counter Terrorism Feb 2019 - Jun 2019
- Deputy Head of Team (OSCT) Apr 2018 - Jun 2019
- Parliamentary Desk Officer (OSCT) Oct 2017 - Apr 2018
- Communications Officer – National Security Communications Cabinet Office Sep 2016 - Oct 2017
- Programmes and Admissions Assistant UCL Sep 2015 - Sep 2016 [8]
- Leah Clarkson Policy Manager - Homeland Security Group Jan 2021 - Present;
- Formerly:
- Policy Adviser - Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism Apr 2020 - Mar 2021
- Grants Officer - Cancer Research UK Jun 2016 - Jun 2017
- Caseworker and Office Administrator for Sadiq Khan MP House of Commons Feb 2016 - Jun 2016[9]
- Mahmuda Islam Senior Strategy Advisor - Homeland Security Group at UK Home Office. UK Home Office. London Area, United Kingdom. Jan 2023 - Present
- Policy Advisor - Investment Security Risk Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) · Full-time Sep 2021 - Jan 2023 London, England, United Kingdom[10]
- Kiah Rose Sheppard (she/they) Commercial Lead (Homeland Security Group) at the Home Office
- Commercial Lead UK Home Office Jul 2021 - Present · 2 yrs 1 mo Jul 2021 - Present · 2 yrs 1 mo
- Commercial Manager Home Office Mar 2019 - Jul 2021 · 2 yrs 5 mos Assistant Commercial Manager for the NAS programme
- Ministry of Justice UK 3 yrs 7 mos
- Category Manager Apr 2016 - Mar 2019 · 3 yrs Category lead for Photocopiers/MFDs across the MoJ estate.
- Commercial Manager Sep 2015 - Mar 2019 · 3 yrs 7 mos[11]
- Raya Tsolova Industry Secondee UK Home Office · Part-time Jan 2023 - Present · 7 mos Part-time secondment into the Joint Security and Resilience Centre (JSaRC) | Homeland Security Group (HSG) | Home Office[12]
- Joe Walters Senior Policy Advisor Cabinet Office · Full-time Dec 2022 - Present · 8 mos London, England, United Kingdom
- Senior Policy Advisor (Homeland Security Group) UK Home Office · Full-time Nov 2021 - Jan 2023 · 1 yr 3 mos
- Policy Advisor (Cities & Local Growth Unit) Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities · Full-time Oct 2020 - Oct 2021 · 1 yr 1 mo Manchester, England, United Kingdom. Advisor within the economic shocks team
- Freelance Journalist Jun 2019 - Jul 2020 · 1 yr 2 mos Investigative/Financial journalist published in Private Eye and Euromoney
- Researcher (Hillsborough Inquiry) Independent Office for Police Conduct Mar 2016 - Jun 2019 · 3 yrs 4 mos United Kingdom
- Intern The Independent Sep 2015 · 1 mo London, United Kingdom[13]
Funding
Home office data on spending by the Homeland Security Group and its predecessor, the OSCT, over £25,000 as disclosed by the Home Office is displayed in tables on the following pages:
- OSCT funding 2010
- OSCT funding 2011
- OSCT funding 2012
- OSCT funding 2013
- OSCT funding 2014
- OSCT funding 2015
- OSCT funding 2016
- OSCT funding 2017
- OSCT funding 2018
- OSCT funding 2019
- OSCT funding 2020
- OSCT/Homeland Security Group funding 2021
- Homeland Security Group funding 2022
- Homeland Security Group funding 2023
- Homeland Security Group funding 2024
Notes
- ↑ https://www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article/home-office-appoints-director-of-homeland-security
- ↑ Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament How the Committee works. Retrieved from the Internet Archive of 11 March 2020.
- ↑ Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament How the Committee works. Retrieved from the Internet Archive of 15 June 2022.
- ↑ JSaRC Our Position. Accessed 6 September 2022.
- ↑ LinkedIn Homeland Security Group - Senior Policy Advisor - Cyber Policy Unit - Various Roles. Job advert. Screengrab captured 6 September 2022.
- ↑ Home Office New Director General for Homeland Security announced: New head of Homeland Security took up the role at the beginning of April. Published 7 April 2021. Retrieved from Archive.today of 20 February 2022.
- ↑ CSaP Chloe Squires. Retrieved from the Internet Archive of 13 September 2021.
- ↑ https://archive.ph/YTmCQ
- ↑ https://archive.ph/q6KRL
- ↑ https://archive.ph/KK4Od
- ↑ https://archive.ph/rP0on
- ↑ https://archive.ph/82kIN
- ↑ https://archive.ph/Rz28g