Deputy National Security Adviser
The Deputy National Security Adviser (DNSA) is a senior civil service position in the United Kingdom's Cabinet Office National Security Secretariat. The DNSA supports the National Security Adviser and the Prime Minister on national security coordination and policy.
There can be more than one DNSA at one time; some DNSAs are given specific titles referring to their specific remit.
Role and responsibilities
The Deputy National Security Adviser (DNSA) sits in the National Security Secretariat (NSS) of the Cabinet Office. The DNSA supports the National Security Adviser and the Prime Minister on national security coordination and policy. Responsibilities are remit-specific (international affairs, resilience, technology, intelligence/security). The DNSA has also acquired Senior Responsible Owner oversight of the Integrated Security Fund (ISF, formerly the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund – CSSF) for funding and programming.
Relationship to other bodies
- National Security Council (NSC): The DNSA runs the NSC secretariat, prepares meetings, papers and implementation tracking.
- Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC): The JIC (supported by the Joint Intelligence Organisation in the NSS) supplies independent all-source assessments to the NSC. The DNSA coordinates policy use of JIC outputs but does not direct assessments.
- British intelligence community (MI5, MI6, GCHQ, Defence Intelligence, OSCT/HSG, JIO): The DNSA handles high-level strategy alignment, priority-setting and crisis response. The DNSA has no operational control.
Career paths
DNSAs usually come from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (badged as FCDO diplomats, though they may be using diplomatic cover as career MI6 officers) or Ministry of Defence/Cabinet Office. Openly acknowledged agency backgrounds (MI5, MI6, GCHQ) are rare.
Examples:
- Olly Robbins – FCO/Cabinet Office → DNSA → Brexit Europe adviser
- Richard Moore – FCO/SIS → DNSA → Chief of MI6
- Gwyn Jenkins – MOD (military) → DNSA
- Julian Miller – MOD → DNSA
- Madeleine Alessandri – FCO → DNSA → Northern Ireland Office
- David Quarrey – diplomat → DNSA
Summary: DNSAs come preponderantly from FCO/diplomatic and MOD backgrounds; Openly acknowledged direct secondments from MI5/MI6/GCHQ are uncommon.
People
| # | Name | Term start | Term end | Term length | Prime Minister(s) served | Area of responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julian Miller | July 2010 | 2015 | ~5 years | David Cameron | Foreign & Defence Policy[1] |
| 2 | Olly Robbins | 2010 | 2014 | ~4 years | David Cameron | Intelligence, Security & Resilience |
| 3 | Hugh Powell | 2013 | 2016 | ~3 years | David Cameron | Foreign Policy |
| 4 | Paddy McGuinness | 2014 | April 2018 | ~4 years | David Cameron / Theresa May | Intelligence, Security and Resilience[2] |
| 5 | Gwyn Jenkins | 2015 | 2017 | ~2 years | David Cameron / Theresa May | Conflict, Stability and Defence |
| 6 | Christian Turner | 2017 | 2019 | ~2 years | Theresa May / Boris Johnson | International Affairs[3] |
| 7 | Richard Moore | 2018 | 2018 | ~1 year | Boris Johnson | Intelligence, Security and Resilience |
| 8 | Madeleine Alessandri | 2018 | 2020 | ~2 years | Theresa May / Boris Johnson | National Resilience and Security |
| 9 | David Quarrey | July 2019 | April 2022 | 2 years 9 months | Boris Johnson | International Affairs |
| 10 | Beth Sizeland | February 2020 | 2021 | ~1 year 10 months | Boris Johnson | National Resilience & Security[4] |
| 11 | Alex Ellis | 2020 | 2021 | ~1 year | Boris Johnson | Diplomacy, Development & Defence[5] |
| 12 | Andrew McCosh | 2021 | present | ~4 years 9 months (as of Apr 2026) | Boris Johnson / Liz Truss / Rishi Sunak / Keir Starmer | Technology |
| 13 | Matthew Collins | ~2022 | present | Ongoing | Liz Truss / Rishi Sunak / Keir Starmer | Intelligence, Defence & Security (Executive DNSA)[6][7] |
| 14 | Dame Sarah MacIntosh | 2022 | 2024 | ~2 years | Boris Johnson / Liz Truss / Rishi Sunak / Keir Starmer | International Affairs / Foreign Affairs[8] |
| 15 | Jonathan Black | ~2024 | 2025 | ~1 year | Keir Starmer | International Economics and Global Issues[6] |
| 16 | Nick Catsaras | 2025 | Sep 2025 | ~9 months | Keir Starmer | International Economics and Global Issues[9] |
| 17 | Anna Clunes | August 2025 | present | ~8 months (as of Apr 2026) | Keir Starmer | —[10] |
| 18 | Dame Barbara Woodward | December 2025 | present | ~4 months (as of Apr 2026) | Keir Starmer | International Affairs[6] |
Notes
- ↑ UK Government, Julian Miller GOV.UK, accessed April 2026.
- ↑ UK Government, McGuinness, Paddy - Deputy National Security Adviser GOV.UK, accessed April 2026.
- ↑ UK Government, Sir Christian Turner KCMG GOV.UK, accessed April 2026.
- ↑ UK Government, Beth Sizeland GOV.UK, accessed April 2026.
- ↑ UK Government, Alex Ellis KCMG GOV.UK, accessed April 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 UK Government, National Security and Intelligence - About us GOV.UK, accessed April 2026.
- ↑ UK Government, Witness statement 3 GOV.UK, accessed April 2026.
- ↑ UK Government, Dame Sarah MacIntosh DCMG GOV.UK, accessed April 2026.
- ↑ UK Government, Nick Catsaras CMG GOV.UK, accessed April 2026.
- ↑ UK Government, Anna Clunes CMG OBE GOV.UK, accessed April 2026.