Sir Alex Younger

“We spent the first 20 years of this century focussing almost entirely on counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency,”

Sir Alex Younger · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-11

Sir Alex Younger, former Chief of MI6, said this at a literary festival shortly after leaving his post.

“We missed the rise of China as a military power and as a strategic challenge”

Sir Alex Younger · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-11

Sir Alex Younger added that Western intelligence missed the rise of China as a military power and strategic challenge.