Her Majesty’s Secret Intelligence Service, aka MI6, has a new Chief, Richard Moore, a 57-year-old Foreign Office official who began his career in MI6 and most likely never left it, since MI6 is a accountable to the Foreign Secretary. Moore replaces Sir Alex Younger who has served as Chief for six years. Moore will take the position this autumn. According to the Guardian MI6 is expected to refocus on targeting China and Russia.
Currently a political director at the Foreign Office, Moore joined MI6 in 1987 then “transferred” to the Foreign Office in the 1990s and held diplomatic postings in Vietnam, Turkey (1990-1992), Pakistan and Malaysia. He was Ambassador to Turkey between January 2014 and December 2017. A fluent Turkish speaker, he reportedly “understands Turkey” as reflected in the fact that during the July 2016 Turkish military coup attempt, he quickly arranged for a prominent U.K. government minister to visit Ankara to show solidarity while other countries seem to have hesitated.
