Ken McCallum
 Ken McCallum    (spook) | |
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| Alma mater | University of Glasgow |
Kenneth "Ken" Douglas McCallum, having previously served as Deputy Director General of MI5, was announced in March 2020 by Home Secretary Priti Patel as Director General designate of MI5 to succeed Sir Andrew Parker at the end of April 2020.[1]
Aside from the heightened threat from Russia, Ken McCallum has to oversee a complex brief, including the increasing risk of rightwing terror, the continued threat from Islamist terrorism, the integration of Chinese technology into UK national infrastructure and the geopolitical changes caused by increasing US isolationism. He will also manage the UK's new security partnerships with European allies post-Brexit and help deal with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.[2]
Contents
Official Career
Ken McCallum grew up in Glasgow, and holds a degree in Mathematics from the University of Glasgow.
Ken McCallum is an MI5 officer with almost 25 years of experience across the full spectrum of the organisation's national security and intelligence work He focused on Northern Ireland-related terrorism, with his work contributing to the peace process remaining a career highlight. Senior operational roles in countering Islamist extremist terrorism followed, and a period leading on cyber security, where he expanded MI5 engagement with the private sector.
Counter-terrorism
In 2012, Ken McCallum took charge of all counter-terrorism investigations and risk management in the run-up to, and during, the London Olympics. After the Games, he embarked on a secondment to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (now BEIS) leading on digital issues, building his experience beyond the national security domain. Following his return to MI5 he retained links to the wider public sector, serving for three years as a Non-Executive Director on the board of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
In April 2015, McCallum took on the role of Director General Strategy, focusing on shaping new legislation and further strengthening MI5's partnerships with SIS and GCHQ.[3]
Deputy DG
Ken McCallum was appointed Deputy Director General of MI5 in April 2017, with responsibility for all of MI5's operational and investigative work.
McCallum led MI5's strategic response to the 2017 terrorist attacks (2017 Westminster attack, 2017 Manchester bombing and the June 2017 London attack) setting up the joint MI5 and Police 'Operational Improvement Review', as overseen by Lord Anderson QC, and then driving forward the implementation of its recommendations. Important changes included new ways of working with traditional and new partners, and MI5 taking on responsibilities for detecting and countering Right-wing terrorism.
In 2018, McCallum took charge of the MI5 response to the Sergei Skripal affair, within the unprecedented UK-led international response from intelligence allies. In the aftermath of the attack, McCallum led the attribution of the poisoning to the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence service, and the identification of the suspects.[4] He then worked with the government in implementing an international expulsion of Russian diplomats.[5]
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munich Security Conference/2024 | 16 February 2024 | 18 February 2024 | Munich Bavaria Germany | Annual conference of mid-level functionaries from the military-industrial complex - politicians, propagandists and lobbyists - in their own bubble, far from the concerns of their subjects |
Related Documents
| Title | Type | Publication date | Author(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document:Probable Western Responsibility for Skripal Poisoning | blog post | 28 April 2018 | Craig Murray Clive Ponting | Those of us who have been in the belly of the beast and have worked closely with the intelligence services, really do know what they and the British government are capable of. They are not “white knights”. |
| Document:The Salisbury Festival of Russophobia Opens Today | Wikispooks Page | 14 October 2024 | Craig Murray | "The Public Inquiry into the death of Dawn Sturgess, like the Hutton Inquiry into the death of Dr David Kelly, is designed entirely to conceal the truth and further the official narrative." |
References
- ↑ "Ken McCallum: MI5 appoints officer who led Skripal poisoning investigation as new head"
- ↑ "MI5: Ken McCallum appointed new boss"
- ↑ "New Director General of MI5 appointed"
- ↑ Document:Probable Western Responsibility for Skripal Poisoning
- ↑ "Spy who led response to Skripal attack is appointed new MI5 head"
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