Cyber Policy Department
UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office cyber diplomacy unit
The FCO Cyber Policy Department (also referred to as the International Cyber Policy Department or Cyber Policy Team) is the primary unit within the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO, formerly FCO) responsible for international cyber diplomacy, capacity building, and shaping the UK's global cyber security foreign policy.
History and Naming
The unit has operated under varying names reflecting organisational changes:
- International Cyber Policy Department (c. 2011–c. 2020) – the original formal title under the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
- Cyber Policy Department (c. 2020–present) – the current name following the 2020 FCO-DFID merger that created the FCDO.
- Cyber Policy Team – a common informal or shorthand reference used in official correspondence and external documents.[1][2]
Reporting Lines
In 2013, the department sat within the Human Rights and International Security Directorate of the FCO and reported to the Director General for Defence and Intelligence Directorate|Defence and Intelligence]]. It ultimately reported to the Permanent Under-Secretary and the Foreign Secretary (William Hague at the time).[3]
Following the creation of the FCDO, the Cyber Policy Department is led by the UK's Cyber Director (who also serves as the UK Cyber Ambassador) and sits within the broader security and international relations structure.
Role in Ghana Pilot
The FCO Cyber Policy Team provided overall governance for the 2013–2014 Ghana Pilot Project (the initial proof of concept for the Commonwealth Cybercrime Initiative). It held the budget, managed the grant under the title “CCI Capacity Building in Ghana and the West Africa Region - Local Project Facilitation”, set diplomatic objectives, and coordinated with the Cabinet Office.[1]
Staffing
In the early 2010s the International Cyber Policy Department operated as a relatively small specialised team within the FCO. Exact staffing numbers for 2013 are not publicly disclosed in detail, but the unit comprised policy advisers, legal experts, and diplomats focused on cyber diplomacy. Key named staff included senior officials coordinating international capacity-building initiatives such as the Ghana pilot.
The department has since evolved under the FCDO, with the current Cyber Policy Department led by a dedicated Cyber Director who also serves as the UK Cyber Ambassador. Staffing has grown to support expanded global cyber diplomacy efforts.[1]
Staffing
The Cyber Policy Department (formerly International Cyber Policy Department) has been led by a series of senior officials. Exact numbers of junior staff are not publicly detailed due to civil service data privacy rules.
Known Cyber Directors and Senior Heads:
- Jamie Saunders – Director of International Cyber Policy (January 2012 – late 2014). Later headed the National Cyber Crime Unit at the NCA.[1]
- Alexander Evans OBE – Foreign Office Director Cyber (c. 2015–2016).
- Will Middleton – Director Cyber / Cyber Policy Department (until c. 2022).
- George Scott – FCDO Cyber Director (late 2022 – mid-2024).
- Andrew (Andy) Whittaker – Current FCDO Cyber Director and UK Cyber Ambassador (appointed September/October 2024 – present). Previously involved in establishing the UK’s first national CERT.[1]
Juliette Wilcox CMG, a career diplomat, served as UK Cyber Security Ambassador for the Department for Business and Trade (2022–2024) and collaborated closely with the FCDO Cyber Policy Department.
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Commonwealth Cyber Programme: country case studies FCDO, 9 March 2021.
- ↑ UK Cabinet Office, National Cyber Security Strategy 2011 Cabinet Office, November 2011.
- ↑ UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report 2013 FCO, 2014.