Government details global security spending

The Government has detailed spending of £830 million in the 2022-23 financial on programmes and peacekeeping in more than 90 countries.

The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund’s (CSSF) investment delivers projects in Ukraine, Africa, the Indo-Pacific and the Overseas Territories.

Last year, spending on cybersecurity programmes almost doubled, including £25.5 million spent on the Global Cyber Programme, the Africa Joint Operations Against Cyber Crime and cyber defences in Georgia, Iraq and elsewhere.

Projects in Eastern Europe and Central Asia which accounted for around 14 per cent of CSSF funding (£119.28 million) and projects in Sub-Saharan Africa which accounted for almost 12 per cent of CSSF funding (£98.57 million). In Sub-Saharan Africa, the money has been spent on tackling the threat of violent extremists by working with counter terror organisations.

Cabinet Office minister for the CSSF Baroness Neville-Rolfe said: "From the Balkans to Latin America, the Indo-Pacific and beyond, the UK’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund plays a vital role in keeping people safe both at home and abroad.

"Improving the cyber security of our international partners is vital to the preservation of the rules-based international system and so detecting, disrupting and deterring cyber threats across the globe has been central to the CSSF’s work."