The new commander of the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Force (NCF) stepped into the role this week, according to sources with knowledge of the appointment.

The individual has not yet been avowed — the formal process in Britain by which an intelligence or security figure’s identity is publicly acknowledged — as routine security considerations are still being worked through.

They will be the third commander to lead the NCF since it was established in 2020 to consolidate Britain’s offensive cyber capabilities under a unified command, as a partnership between the defense and intelligence communities.

The NCF’s two previous commanders were drawn from either side of that partnership. The inaugural commander, James Babbage, came from the intelligence world, having been an officer at GCHQ for nearly 30 years before his identity was avowed in early 2023 as the force published its first public doctrine paper.

Babbage led the NCF until later that year, when he joined the National Crime Agency where he is currently the director general for threats, attempting to reduce serious and organized crime.