Responsibilities
The Defence Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network carries out four responsibilities on behalf of the Velocity Interoperability Network. Each is described in more detail in the guidance linked below.
- Network security
- Setting the standards that members apply when protecting the systems they operate on behalf of the Network, and verifying that they are met.
- Incident response
- Receiving reports of significant security incidents, coordinating the response where more than one member is affected, and issuing advisories to the wider Network.
- Resilience and readiness
- Maintaining the Interim Network Defence Framework and testing the Network's ability to keep shared services running through regular readiness exercises and quarterly readiness reporting.
- Protection of members and infrastructure
- Identifying the infrastructure the Network depends on, classifying it by criticality, keeping the register of shared infrastructure and working with members to reduce the risk to it.
How the responsibilities are discharged. The Department acts through a small number of instruments, each published on this site. The table below shows which responsibility each instrument serves, which office is answerable for it and its present state. Because the Department is new, several instruments are in their first edition or first cycle; the table will be kept current as they mature.
| Instrument | Responsibilities served | Office answerable | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interim Network Defence Framework | Network security; protection of members and infrastructure | Policy and Standards Division | Published 6 September 2026; revision after the first exercise |
| Registration of shared infrastructure | Protection of members and infrastructure | Policy and Standards Division | Open; Tier 1 systems by 31 October 2026 |
| Incident reporting | Incident response | Office of the Spokesperson receives; Policy and Standards Division assesses | In force since 6 September 2026 |
| Security advisories | Incident response; network security | Policy and Standards Division | Three advisories issued to date |
| Readiness exercises | Resilience and readiness | Policy and Standards Division | First Network-wide exercise in the fourth quarter of 2026 |
| Readiness reporting | Resilience and readiness; network security | Policy and Standards Division | Baseline return due 30 November 2026 |
The Department does not operate shared Network infrastructure itself. Every system within the scope of the framework is operated by a member, and the member is responsible for its security. The Department's role is to set the standard, to know what the Network depends on, to coordinate when something goes wrong and to test, regularly and honestly, whether the Network is as ready as it believes itself to be.
For the offices that carry out this work, see About the Department. Terms used here are defined in the Glossary.