RUSSIA has tried to hack into Britain’s key defence systems 90,000 times over the past two years
The stark warning comes as Defence Secretary John Healey launches a new bid to get gamers and geeks to join a new cyber wing of the military.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun on Sunday he said: “If you are a top gamer – your country needs you.”
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Mr Healey will use his big speech at the Labour Party’s conference in Liverpool this week to announce a recruitment blitz for the Armed Forces.
He is setting up a new fast-track system for cyber whizz kids to sign up without having to undertake all the normal military required in the Army, Navy and RAF.
Over 100 policies blocking people from entering the military for barmy reasons – like having bad hay fever, eczema and acne – have also been ditched.
Gamers who spend hours playing Call of Duty in their bedrooms could be the ideal new recruit for the military’s new cyber squad, Mr Healey said.
“We are short of drone pilots”, the Defence Sec said.
“You can see the changing nature of warfare in Ukraine, where the combination of artillery and drones is responsible for the large majority of all the casualties.
“The sort of skills that drone pilots have are many of the same skills as some of our best console warriors are okay in civilian life.”
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“If you are good at tech, if you have a passion for cyber, if you’re good at gaming gaming, then you may have the skills that the British military needs.
“And I want to make sure that people like that have an opportunity to serve the country.”
Mr Healey will also tackle long waiting times by making a conditional offer to new recruits within 10 days.
Defence sources revealed that suspected Russian actors have been caught trying to hack into Britain’s core defence structure 90,000 times.
The Kremlin and its proxy hacker groups have massively ramped up direct attacks on the UK.