MI5 Director General Sir Ken McCallum announced on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, that the United Kingdom's domestic intelligence agency is now dedicating more resources to countering state threats than it did during the Cold War. In his annual address at Thames House, McCallum stated that threats from foreign adversaries have quadrupled over the last decade. He noted that operational missions targeting terrorism and state-sponsored activities have reached a "pretty much equal scale," marking what he described as a "huge shift" in recent years.
The intelligence chief identified Russia as "aggressor number one," alleging the Kremlin is conducting hybrid warfare involving sabotage and cyberattacks across Europe. McCallum also highlighted an increase in Iran-linked aggression, reporting that 50 arrests have been made in the UK over the past year related to Iranian activities. These activities have reportedly targeted Jewish communities and military installations. McCallum noted a suspected plot at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire was "not unique" and stated that the expulsion of nearly 1,000 Russian officials since the invasion of Ukraine has forced Moscow to rely on paying criminal proxies to conduct operations.
Artificial intelligence was cited as "supercharging" the current security landscape. McCallum reported that MI5 has intercepted terrorists attempting to use AI for reconnaissance and the integration of technology with drones. While he noted that the threat of AI-generated bioweapons has not yet been fully realized, he warned that the technology possesses the "potential to change the stakes" of existing and new biological threats. To address these developments, MI5 has launched a new AI Threat Assessment Centre to evaluate emerging risks.
On a concrete level, the public may notice a security response at military installations and Jewish institutions following reported interest from Iranian-linked actors. The rise in extreme right-wing terrorism, which McCallum noted is increasingly involving minors, included a recent investigation into a 13-year-old in the UK. The intelligence chief stated that the internet remains a primary driver for these grievances, particularly those involving anti-immigration and anti-Muslim sentiment.
The emergence of AI-enabled threats marks what McCallum described as a new era in national security where the government must defend against actors potentially smarter than human defenders. The partnership between MI5 and the UK’s AI Security Institute represents a link between intelligence agencies and technological regulators. Looking ahead, the National Security Act of 2023 remains a primary legal tool for these investigations. The newly established AI Threat Assessment Centre is expected to provide ongoing evaluations to determine when theoretical bioweapon threats might become operational realities.