Permanent location of National Cyber Force campus

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has confirmed that the government’s new National Cyber Force will be located in Samlesbury in the North-West, bringing highly skilled jobs to Lancashire.

Announced by the Prime Minister as part of the Integrated Review in November 2020, the National Cyber Force is established to help keep the country safe as the new home of offensive cyber operations.

The permanent site of the NCF will be established in Samlesbury, cementing the North-West region’s position as the cyber centre of the UK. GCHQ already have an office in Manchester and the city is Europe’s fastest growing major tech cluster, with more than 15 per cent of Manchester’s population employed by the digital, creative and technology sector.

The joint MoD and GCHQ partnership draws together personnel from intelligence, cyber and security agency GCHQ, the MoD, the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), under one unified command for the first time.

Wallace said: “The National Cyber Force located in Samlesbury will embrace exciting new offensive cyber technologies and provide thousands of highly skilled jobs and expertise to the North West. I am hugely proud and enthusiastic to see this happen, not only will it provide a catalyst for investment, but also see our levelling up agenda bring economic stimulus and tangible benefits to this region.”