The Ministry of Defence is under renewed pressure to overhaul its digital capabilities after the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) warned that without urgent investment in tech specialists, the UK risks repeating catastrophic data failures like the Afghan leak.
Speaking to BFBS Forces News ahead of the PAC’s latest report, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said the MOD must recruit far more digital experts, including at senior levels, to strengthen its systems and stop further breaches.
His warning comes in the wake of the 2022 data leak that exposed the personal details of around 19,000 Afghans seeking safety in the UK after the Taliban takeover. The scale of the disaster only became public this year following the lifting of a superinjunction.
“They Must Take This Very Seriously Now”
The PAC’s report is sharply critical, highlighting that the MOD was still relying on Excel spreadsheets on a SharePoint site during the chaotic evacuation, a setup it described as “inappropriate” for handling such sensitive information.
Sir Geoffrey stressed:
“Most departments were given money in the last spending review to update their systems. The MOD will not have been exempt from this, and they must take this data breach very seriously now.”
He warned that the MOD must be prepared for internal mistakes, self-inflicted errors, and external cyber attacks, noting that a separate data breach last year also affected UK military personnel.
The consequences of the Afghan leak have been severe. Academic research has linked the breach to the deaths of 49 Afghans, and thousands more remain at risk of Taliban reprisals. The financial cost currently stands at around £850 million, excluding legal and possible compensation payouts. In a worst-case scenario, Sir Geoffrey said the final cost could run into the billions.
Urgent Need for Digital Talent
The PAC highlighted a worrying shortage of digital specialists within the MOD. Sir Geoffrey said this gap exists across government and must be addressed urgently if departments are to protect sensitive data effectively.
Demand for Greater Transparency
The committee has asked the MOD for six-monthly updates on resettlement activity and accurate costs linked to the breach. Alongside the report, Sir Geoffrey has written to the MOD’s permanent secretary, criticising how often the department failed to provide requested information during the investigation.
For a department trusted with the nation’s most sensitive data, the message is unmistakable: modernise, recruit digital talent, and stop the mistakes before they happen.
