The Ministry of Defence said it will be used “to ensure that it can compete with and defeat adversaries both above and below the threshold of conventional conflict.”

The body forms the UK’s response to the growing threat of cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns from foreign states such as Russia and terror groups such as Islamic State.

In October 2018, Britain accused Russian military intelligence body GRU of being behind four high-profile cyber-attacks aimed at undermining Western democracies.

Lieutenant General Ivan Jones, Commander of the Field Army, said: “The character of warfare continues to change as the boundaries between conventional and unconventional warfare become increasingly blurred. The Army must remain adaptable and evolve as a fighting force.

“The speed of change is moving at a remarkable rate and it will only get faster and more complex.”

While there will be no changes to personnel numbers, resourcing, cap badges or locations, troops enlisted in the Sixth Division will be trained in cyber skills, covert surveillance and intelligence gathering to counter hostile online forces.

The structural change comes after the Army successfully used online warfare to counter the IS message in northern Iraq. The militant group had recruited and radicalised fighters from across the globe through its use of slick digital propaganda and advanced tech skills.

The Sixth Division has its origins in the two world wars and more recently was reformed between 2008 and 2011 to serve in Afghanistan, prior to this latest resurrection.

Lt. Gen. Jones added: “Sixth Division focuses on cyber, electronic warfare, intelligence, information operations and unconventional warfare through niche capabilities such as the Specialised Infantry Battalions.”

Yesterday, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory announced it had contracted a commercial gaming company to use strategy-based video games for educational purposes. 

The Ministry of Defence said it will be used “to ensure that it can compete with and defeat adversaries both above and below the threshold of conventional conflict.”

The body forms the UK’s response to the growing threat of cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns from foreign states such as Russia and terror groups such as Islamic State.

In October 2018, Britain accused Russian military intelligence body GRU of being behind four high-profile cyber-attacks aimed at undermining Western democracies.

Lieutenant General Ivan Jones, Commander of the Field Army, said: “The character of warfare continues to change as the boundaries between conventional and unconventional warfare become increasingly blurred. The Army must remain adaptable and evolve as a fighting force.

“The speed of change is moving at a remarkable rate and it will only get faster and more complex.”

While there will be no changes to personnel numbers, resourcing, cap badges or locations, troops enlisted in the Sixth Division will be trained in cyber skills, covert surveillance and intelligence gathering to counter hostile online forces.

The structural change comes after the Army successfully used online warfare to counter the IS message in northern Iraq. The militant group had recruited and radicalised fighters from across the globe through its use of slick digital propaganda and advanced tech skills.

The Sixth Division has its origins in the two world wars and more recently was reformed between 2008 and 2011 to serve in Afghanistan, prior to this latest resurrection.

Lt. Gen. Jones added: “Sixth Division focuses on cyber, electronic warfare, intelligence, information operations and unconventional warfare through niche capabilities such as the Specialised Infantry Battalions.”

Yesterday, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory announced it had contracted a commercial gaming company to use strategy-based video games for educational purposes.