Readout of Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco’s Trip to London

Deputy Attorney General (Deputy AG) Lisa Monaco traveled to London this week to reaffirm and build upon the strong partnership between the United States and Great Britain in countering threats to our national security.

On Wednesday, the Deputy AG met with Permanent Home Secretary Matthew Rycroft to continue the strong working relationship between the Home Office and the Justice Department and to establish a new high-level forum to identify and address emerging threats. Senior representatives from both offices will convene the forum around key law enforcement areas to develop strategies that reflect the combined expertise, strengths and capabilities of U.S. and U.K. authorities.

That evening, Ambassador Jane Hartley hosted a reception in honor of the Deputy AG’s visit and to celebrate the collaboration between the U.S. and U.K. on the Russian Elites, Proxies and Oligarchs Task Force. As the one-year anniversary of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine approaches, the Deputy AG delivered remarks reaffirming the commitment of the two nations to stand together with the people of Ukraine and to enforce the global sanctions levied against Russia.

On Thursday, at Chatham House, the Deputy AG joined two counterparts from her former role as Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor — former British Ambassador Sir Peter Westmacott and former British Deputy National Security Advisor Paddy McGuinness — to discuss how autocratic governments are acquiring and abusing disruptive technologies to project power and engage in illicit activity and how the U.S. and U.K. can collaborate to combat these trends.

In her remarks at Chatham House, the Deputy AG announced the launch of the Disruptive Technology Strike Force, a collaboration of U.S. law enforcement – led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce – bringing together top experts to attack tomorrow’s national security threats today. The Strike Force will employ intelligence and data analytics to target illicit actors, harden supply chains, and protect critical technological assets. “Our goal is simple but essential,” she said, “to strike back against adversaries trying to siphon off our most advanced technology.” Read her full remarks here.

While in London, the Deputy Attorney General also met with Deputy National Security Advisor Matt Collins and the Deputy Director of MI5 to thank them for their continued partnership on a host of national security issues facing the two countries – particularly the challenges posed by hostile nation states. She also visited the American Embassy for a briefing with U.S. officials on their work in-country and to thank them for their dedicated public service.

On Thursday evening, Deputy AG Monaco departed London for Munich, Germany, where she will participate in the Munich Security Conference and the Munich Cyber Security Conference.