Global Security Newswire

The United Kingdom's spy chief today asserted that WMD proliferation among nations could have more widespread effects than terrorist strikes on Western targets, Reuters reported (see GSN, Oct. 21).

The remarks by Secret Intelligence Service head John Sawers to a London audience followed the government's recently released National Security Strategy, which cited a terrorism attack on the United Kingdom as a greater threat than a nuclear strike.

"Terrorism is difficult enough, and despite our collective efforts, an attack may well get through. The human cost would be huge," said Sawers, who leads the foreign-intelligence gathering agency popularly known as MI6. "But our country, our democratic system, will not be brought down by a typical terrorist attack."

"The dangers of proliferation of nuclear weapons and chemical and biological weapons are more far-reaching. It can alter the whole balance of power in a region," he said (William Maclean, Reuters I, Oct. 28).

Sawers also said there was a strong need for vigorous vetting of intelligence findings, citing failures leading up to the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, which was based largely on the assertion that the Hussein regime possessed weapons of mass destruction. Following the invasion, no operational arsenals or indicators of active WMD programs were found.

Intelligence surrounding the war and the role British leaders played in promoting the invasion have been subject to widespread public criticism and a special inquiry into the matter is ongoing (see GSN, Aug. 2).

A 2004 government investigation known as the Butler Review determined the Blair administration was wrong to not include disclaimers from spy officials on the value of information contained in the government's September 2002 dossier, which was used to build a case for toppling Hussein's regime.

Sawers said he was assured his agency had put in place the advice of the Butler Review, which called for reforms to make certain there is "effective scrutiny and validation of human intelligence sources."

"Sources of intelligence have to be rigorously evaluated and their reports have to be honestly weighed alongside all other information. Those who produce it, and those who want to use it have to put intelligence in a wider context," Sawers said (William Maclean, Reuters II, Oct. 28).