How can the UK adopt a citizen-centric approach to national security?

In Asa Lind’s classroom, students don’t just learn about algebra. They also learn about their role and responsibilities in keeping Sweden safe. Asa is a teacher, but she’s also a fundamental contributor to Sweden’s national security. When Asa saw a spike in student anxiety linked to the Russia-Ukraine war, she adapted her teaching programme to include news bulletins and advice from security organisations, encouraging students to talk openly about events happening on the global stage.

“It’s always been important to incorporate the kids’ worries and their anxieties and try to teach them about the surroundings and what’s happening in the world,” Asa told German news channel DW News. Asa’s role is part of Sweden’s Total Defence policy, which encourages citizens to take responsibility for the safety of the country. Asa, like many of her fellow Swedes, strengthens Sweden’s ability to prepare for potential and actual conflict, reinforced by clear communication from the government.

The UK government is taking a step in the direction of this citizen-focused approach through the Cyber Security Behaviours campaign, providing materials and information for the public about the impact of cyber attacks and how to stay cyber safe. This is a priority area for the new Labour government; front of mind following a string of high-profile cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure (CNI). The King’s Speech further reinforced cyber resilience efforts with the announcement of a new Cyber Security and Resilience (CSR) Bill.

In a recent survey of UK citizens conducted by PA and Opinium, when asked about the biggest threats to national security over the next ten years, a third of respondents chose cyber attacks on CNI – more than for any other threat. Terrorist attacks were the second most prevalent threat (17 percent), followed by climate change (12 percent). Despite high political tensions and the probability of global conflict, only nine percent cite war as one of the biggest threats. There is a disconnect, and therefore an opportunity, to better engage individuals in issues of national security.

Regardless of the type of threats, over half (55 percent) of respondents said the UK is less safe now than it was five years ago. Just ten percent said the UK is safer today, while the remaining 36 percent were neutral or unsure. In this, the UK isn’t an island – a poll of EU citizens conducted on behalf of the European Commission found that around half of EU citizens were “fairly worried” about the security of the EU over the next five years, indicating a lack of confidence in the effectiveness of security structures. But, this effectiveness can be significantly boosted by human connection.

Whose responsibility is it, anyway?

On a grey but bright evening in late July, a flotilla of boats cruised down the River Seine in Paris. What were they carrying? World-class Olympic athletes, complete with flags and national dress. Thousands of spectators lined the Seine to watch the vibrant opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics – behind metal security fences, and under the scrutiny of France’s police, gendarmes, and soldiers. Ahead of the international sporting tournament, stringent background checks blocked approximately 5,000 people from attendance. According to French interior minister Gerald Darmanin, around 1,000 of these people were suspected of interference or spying for a foreign power.

Individuals are powerful, whether their motives are for good or ill. But as much as individual citizens present a threat to safety and security, they are also a critical line of defence. If you’ve ever caught a train from London’s King’s Cross station, you’ll have heard the tinny announcement: “If you see something that doesn’t look right, speak to a member of staff. See it. Say it. Sorted.” In the first year after the ‘See it. Say it. Sorted’ campaign launched, reports by the public increased by 90 percent, preventing or disrupting a number of hostile acts.

But citizens can be central to security efforts. While keeping democratic principles and social freedoms front of mind, decision-makers can tap into citizen insight and vigilance. To bring citizens on board, nations such as Sweden and Singapore have created crystal clear narratives that call on individuals to contribute to national security. SGSecure, the Singaporean government’s community response to terrorism, helps Singaporeans to identify their specific role. Goh Jun Hui, business administration student at Singapore Polytechnic, identified his role as a Uniter. “It is important for us, especially as youth, to understand that crisis can really happen at any second, minute or day,” he said. “It is also important that we not take things like our safety and security for granted.” 

This approach can be even more powerful in a country categorised by the Economist Democracy Index as a ‘full democacy’ such as the UK, where civil liberties and freedoms are upheld by governmental checks, independent judiciaries, and diverse media. In this protective environment, citizens are more empowered to speak up, to make choices and act autonomously.

However, only 23 percent of our survey respondents agreed that ordinary citizens have a vitally important role in keeping the UK safe from foreign or homegrown security threats. This is significantly lower than the 56 percent who said national security agencies such as MI5 are vitally important. Overall, local government, international cooperation, the armed forces, the police, the government, and national security agencies were all deemed to be more responsible than citizens in keeping the UK safe. This exposes a significant opportunity to re-set expectations about individual and community action.

Under a third (29 percent) slightly understood citizens’ roles, but the same percentage either did not understand the role or selected ‘Don’t know’. There is a significant opportunity for leaders across all levels of society to build greater awareness of security – from local government figures through to healthcare professionals, and those who facilitate a range of community and social groups.

Private sector organisations have a key role too, with large workforces and customer bases across multiple areas and demographics within their sphere of influence. Private organisations also have access to a wealth of resources, innovative potential, and specialists which could benefit security strategies. There is a foundational link between security and sectors such as transport, energy, and banking, which form a complex web of critical national infrastructure.

The security sector can help private organisations to boost the security awareness of their people through accessible guidance and resources. In the UK to date, this has focused on cyber security, indicating a vital but currently narrow focus. Potential focus areas for the government and security organisations include terrorism, social unrest, climate impacts, and preparing for future conflict – all cited as concerns in our public poll.

Security-focused organisations will achieve more when they tap into the broader societal landscape, setting out defined responsibilities and expectations in a reasonable and relevant way. Jump back to the Olympics for an example of this in practice. Throughout the games, the US Embassy in Paris provided guidance and alerts to US citizens on health, safety, and travel, and encouraged them to enrol in the Safe Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) for timely updates. One of the Embassy’s central recommendations was vigilance – if you see something, say something. The same guidance was issued to private US corporations involved with the tournament, too. All parties knew what was expected of them.

Delivering both autonomy and protection

The UK is a nation of paradoxes: a country that drives innovation while clinging to tradition; a melting pot of ethnic backgrounds merged with a distinct ‘British’ culture; and an island characterised by connections. One key paradox identified in our Secure Futures research is the tension between autonomy and protection.

By nature, security organisations play their cards tight to their chests to protect citizens from a plethora of harms. Ironically, that’s precisely why citizen autonomy is crucial. Treat citizens like children, and they will start to act like them.

Bellingcat is a prime example; citizen investigators work together to explore topics of interest and share findings to aid security efforts.

Free of process and protocol, Bellingcat’s independent investigators can experiment and explore. And it pays off. Following the attack on Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine, Bellingcat used social media videos to track a convoy transporting a missile launcher back to a defence base in Kursk, Russia. By looking at posts on VKontakte, Russia’s equivalent of Facebook, investigators were able to reconstruct the brigade structure, find soldiers, and locate them inside Ukraine. They also identified tanks and armoured vehicles down to tiny details like scratch marks, to prove there were Russian forces inside Ukraine. How could Bellingcat move so quickly? Acting on initiative, with autonomy. Incidentally, this example also shows how the actions of one individual (even taking a selfie) have vast implications.

Autonomy and protection don’t have to be ‘either or’ – decision-makers can actively seek value in apparent paradoxes. For example, aided by ‘secure by design’ principles, IT suppliers act autonomously within spheres of protection. A secure by design approach to engineering and IT development enables developers to meet security needs while empowering development teams and users to create secure code. A secure by design approach for government IT projects bakes security into online services (such as tax payments) and government-to-citizen interactions through government portals, protecting citizen data and responding rapidly to threats. From a citizen perspective, secure by design means that it’s possible to act with autonomy within invisible guardrails, embedded through broad collaboration, that provide protection and security.

So, who wants a job in security?

New security challenges call for new digital skills and innovative talent. Public sector organisations compete with appealing private sector roles, and rarely win.

There are various reasons for this, including non-inclusive recruitment messaging, comparatively lower pay, and strict clearance procedures. Even before recruits are onboarded, they can find themselves stuck in the vetting vortex, waiting so long for approvals that they abandon the process. Once a person is in role, working patterns often fail to meet shifting work-life expectations of flexibility and stability. People need to know what they are signing up for. And they need to feel genuinely excited about it.

When asked which jobs were most attractive to young people today, survey respondents viewed all public service careers – except healthcare, which was neutral – as more unattractive than attractive. The least unattractive were the national security services, no doubt partly due to 007-style glamourisation, and firefighting, which is universally perceived as brave. Unsurprisingly, social work – characterised by low pay and challenging conditions – was the least popular.

Attracting people with the skills and dedication for demanding security roles also means speaking to a sense of purpose. So, what do people really care about? According to our survey results, the biggest perceived threats to national security over the next ten years are cyber security, terrorism, and climate change. These global challenges provide a compelling reason for citizens to take on security-related roles. But in the UK, the connection to purpose simply isn’t being made. By firmly repositioning careers to attract purpose-driven citizens, security organisations can offer the meaningful roles that people crave.

UK military recruitment campaigns have thus far focused on skills and often technology: “if you can fix a bike, you can fix a Lynx MK8 helicopter.” But this messaging can fail to attract large swathes of the population, especially as the traditional three-stage life (education, work, and retirement) continues to break down. It’s critical for recruitment teams to tap into what inspires and engages a wider population, clearly stating the benefits that recruits can deliver to create a safer world.

Part of the answer lies in more accessible and personal attraction and retention strategies – and, at the same time, embracing much needed diversity through tailored language, channels, and training. Diverse talent leads to diverse ideas, which is why more security organisations are beginning to hire for aptitude rather than textbook, neurotypical skills. Security and security-aligned organisations can strengthen inclusion and diversity (I&D) by partnering with networks such as Women in Defence, which commits to accelerate gender equity in the defence sector.

To attract more people at different stages in their lives and careers, the government could consider adapting its military reserve model, for example, for retirees, to bring in civilian contributions as part of a whole-of-society security approach. More flexible vetting models would provide a route for civilians to contribute through a lighter commitment, also allowing those outside of government to share experience and expertise.

Open the doors to build trust and connection

Connecting with citizens means letting them in, being more transparent about strategy and methods, and empowering them to take responsibility for security in the spaces they occupy. It means listening to ideas from across different levels of society, drawing on the collective power of individuals in their various communities and sub-cultures. Just look at Sweden’s Asa Lind, trusted and empowered to adapt her teaching programme to demystify the global security landscape for her students.

A world of shifting security challenges calls for active connection across all levels of society; not just between nations, organisations, and departments. In keeping the nation safe, the UK’s not-so-secret weapon is the people that they seek to protect.