Philip Hammond will describe the 'greatest challenge to our collective security for decades ' today . Britain faces the ‘ greatest challenge ’ to national security in decades , the foreign secretary will warn today . Philip Hammond will say evolving threats from a subversive Russia and the spread of Islamic extremism must be stopped before they harm the UK . In a speech at the Royal United Services Institute , the former defence secretary will say no-one can ‘ confidently and accurately ’ predict the source of the next major threat the UK faces . But intelligence agencies must be able to secretly identify , monitor and act against the range of threats in order to thwart terror plots and uncover clandestine weapons systems under development by the enemy . In a damning assessment of the dangers facing Britain , Mr Hammond will say : ‘ …the sheer number and range of cases , old and new , amounts to the greatest challenge to our collective security for decades and places unprecedented demands on those charged with keeping us safe. ’ He will say the country is now faced with a Russian leader ‘ bent ’ on subverting the international rules-based system which keeps the peace between nations . ‘ President Putin ’ s actions… fundamentally undermine the security of sovereign nations in Eastern Europe ’ , he will say . Britain is being forced to cope with a greater range of threats , from state-sponsored aggression , to international terrorist organisations , to ‘ lone wolf ’ self-radicalised terrorists with the intent on damaging UK national security . The emergence of groups such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and Islamic State in Syria , Iraq and Libya serves to underline the ‘ pace ’ with which the threats to Britain ’ s safety and security are ‘ evolving ’ , he will claim . Mr Hammond will throw his weight behind plans for new laws to force internet companies to store email , web and social media records so they can be accessed by the security and intelligence agencies . The former defence secretary will describe Putin 's actions as having 'undermined ' the security of sovereign nations . He will say : ‘ We must respond decisively and positively to the public and parliamentary debate about the powers required by our intelligence agencies to do their job in a changed technological environment – and in doing so draw a line under that debate so that the agencies can get on with the job of keeping this country safe. ’ The security services warn that the law is failing to keep up with changing technology so their ability to track terrorists online is constantly diminishing . He will add : ‘ As the range of threats gets bigger , so the pace of technological change with which the Agencies must keep up is getting faster , making their central task of keeping us safe ever more demanding. ’ He will also speak of 'warped ' view human rights activists have taken on the case of jihadi Mohammed Emwazi . The clandestine nature of some of the threats launched against us ‘ require that we maintain a highly effective , secret capability to identify , monitor , and act against these threats before they can do us harm ’ , he will say . These include ‘ the weapons systems that are developed in secrecy to threaten our national security ... . and the great lengths that individual terrorists or terrorist organisations go to in order to try and keep their plots from being uncovered ’ . The head of the MI5 , Andrew Parker , has warned that ‘ if parts of the radar go dark ’ and terrorists are beyond the reach of his agency , Britain would be more vulnerable to attack . Tory plans for new laws to require firms to store data on internet communications , so they can be accessed as part of an investigation , were blocked by the Lib Dems who brand them a ‘ snoopers ’ charter ’ . But David Cameron has pledged to revive them if this Tories are re-elected . Intelligence gathered by the UK security services has already been instrumental in helping the UK counter the threat from extremists and identifying targets for building effective sanctions against Russia , Mr Hammond will say . He will also use the speech to criticise the ‘ warped ’ human rights organisation Cage , which sparked outrage after one of its research directors described Mohammed Emwazi as a ‘ beautiful young ’ man , and praise the ‘ dedication ’ and ‘ brilliance ’ of intelligence officers . He is expected to say : ‘ The responsibility for acts of terror rests with those who commit them . ‘ But a huge burden of responsibility also lies with those who act as apologists for them . ’
Former defence secretary to give speech warning of threats against UK . He will describe 'greatest challenge to our collective security ' for decades . Mr Hammond 's actions will be discussed as 'undermining ' international security . Putin is to make the comments at Royal United Services Institute .