For a long time, the tradition of British intelligence could be summarized by the very existence of its services: officially, they did not exist. But over the last decade, London has undergone a radical cultural revolution, moving from a cult of secrecy to a strategy of « offensive transparency. »
Where France sometimes remains discreet about attributing attacks, the UK has chosen to inform its population to strengthen it. Ken McCallum, the head of MI5 cited in our previous report on Denmark, had already broken the ice by exposing domestic threats on British soil.[01]
Today, it is the turn of MI6 (SIS) to step into the light. It took until December 2025 for reality to finally catch up with fiction. While cinema dared to put a woman, the legendary Judi Dench, in the boss’s chair as early as 1995 (GoldenEye), His Majesty’s real Secret Service has lagged thirty years behind Hollywood.
Blaise Metreweli — Photo SIS
Table of Contents
by Joël-François Dumoint — Paris, December 16, 2025
With the appointment of Blaise Metreweli to the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) as « C »—an initial inherited from the very first chief, Mansfield Cumming, who signed his notes in green ink, but whom readers of John le Carré prefer to call « Control »—the glass ceiling has been shattered.[02] But make no mistake: while the casting has changed, the script has become far darker than any screenplay in the 007 franchise.
« Speak the Truth Louder Than the Lie »
“The world is not on the brink of chaos; it is already in it. Our greatest mistake would be to believe we are still in peacetime.”
“For the Kremlin, disorder on our streets is not collateral damage; it is an operational objective. Chaos is a feature, not a bug.”
Today, a handling officer must be as comfortable with lines of code as with human sources, as fluent in Python as in foreign languages.”
1. The Front Line Is Everywhere
In her first public address, Blaise Metreweli definitively buries the binary vision of the 20th century. She theorizes the West’s entry into an « age of uncertainty » where the distinction between peace and war has evaporated.[02]
The front line no longer just crosses the plains of the Donbas; it runs through a computer server in the City, a research lab in Cambridge, or an undersea cable in the North Sea. We are in a state of permanent but diffuse conflict, where the adversary uses hybridity to bypass our classic lines of defense.
2. Russia: Chaos as State Doctrine
The analysis of the Russian threat is of rare harshness. Metreweli does not describe a Russia simply seeking to gain ground in Ukraine, but an « aggressive and revisionist » state whose goal is to break the cohesion of Western societies from within.[02]
Arson attacks in Europe, infrastructure sabotage, and drone flights threatening civil aviation are not isolated acts, but pieces of a grand strategy of destabilization.[03]
The message to those tempted to freeze the conflict is clear: Putin seeks not peace, but subjugation.
3. China and Tech: The Systemic Challenge
If Russia is the immediate storm, China represents climate change. The speech shifts the intelligence focus toward technology as the central battlefield. National security now depends on who masters Artificial Intelligence and quantum computing.[02] MI6 is undergoing a transformation: it is no longer just about stealing others’ secrets, but protecting British and European innovation against systematic intellectual property theft.[04]
4. The Battle of Narrative and the End of Monopoly
Finally, « C » admits a newfound humility: 80% of relevant intelligence is now open source (OSINT).[02] The Service’s value add is no longer knowing everything, but finding the signal in the noise. She also insists on the need to win back the « Global South, » where Russia and China are waging an effective seduction war by portraying NATO as the aggressor. MI6 must once again become an agency of influence to « speak the truth louder than the lie. »[02]
Sources
[01] European Security, « Denmark: In Putin’s Crosshairs », 15 décembre 2025.
[02] GOV.UK, « Speech by Blaise Metreweli, Chief of SIS », 15 December 2025.
[03] The Guardian, « Russian sabotage operations across Europe: a timeline », 2025.
[04] Financial Times, « MI6 Chief warns of Chinese data traps », December 2025.
[05] RUSI Analysis, « From Secrets to Spotlight: The evolution of British Intelligence », 2025.
See also:
- Royaume-Uni : La fin du « Keep Calm and Carry On » — (2025-1216)
- « United Kingdom: The End of « Keep Calm and Carry On » — (2025-1216)
- « Vereinigtes Königreich: Das Ende von „Keep Calm and Carry On“ » — (2025-1216)
Decryption: The Era of « Deterrence by Disclosure »
Blaise Metreweli’s speech consecrates a new Western doctrine: Deterrence by Disclosure.
In the past, intelligence served to inform political decision-makers within the hushed confines of black chambers. Today, it serves to arm public opinion.[05] By publicly exposing Russian sabotage plans or Chinese technological ambitions, MI6 seeks to « burn » adversarial operations before they bear fruit.
« UK is Back » , James !
This speech also marks the UK’s return as Europe’s « watchtower. » Although post-Brexit, London reminds its continental neighbors—Berlin first and foremost—that security is indivisible.
The appointment of a woman to this post is all but anecdotal: in a world where masculine brute force (Russian hard power) attempts to impose itself, Blaise Metreweli opposes a fluid, adaptive, and technological intelligence.
Judi Dench au Royal Opera House à Londres. (So British !) — Photo Caroline Bonarde Ucci
Blaise Metreweli warns us: hybrid warfare targets not only our infrastructure but our minds.
The only sustainable defense is not counter-intelligence, but civic lucidity. As John le Carré said, the spy bureau is a reflection of the society it defends; this speech summons us to choose which society we want to defend.
