Counterintelligence

Top Secret No Longer: MI5 Confirms Existence of Previously Unheard of CounterIntelligence Unit

The unit is said to be based at Thames House in London, home to the UK’s domestic counterintelligence and security agency, MI5.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has publicly confirmed the existence of a previously unheard of unit of spooks known as the Joint State Threats Assessment Team (JSTAT).

The unit, operating with a level of independence from MI5 from inside of its headquarters, is said to consist of crack intelligence specialists providing the government with advice on potential threats by hostile state actors including foreign spies, assassins, and scheming hackers seeking to disrupt UK elections or carry out cyberattacks.

JSTAT is said to have been created back in 2017 under Prime Minister Theresa May’s government, with its powers including advising Number 10 on potential additional powers that may be needed if a threat arises, including an assessment of relevant UK legislation on providing the government with additional powers.

The JSTAT team is subordinated to a board of governors of senior intelligence officials and officials from other government agencies, as well as the MI5’s director general Andrew Parker, who is said to have ultimate authority over the organization.