Power outages and food shortages are on the minds of many at the moment. Nations like Switzerland, Germany, and Finland have urged citizens to mentally prepare for disruptions, sabotage, and conflict scenarios. The UK government is accelerating work on its “war book” – a manual for the defence of the nation against external threats – and launching a social media campaign with advice to help people deal with the impacts of extreme events, with practical advice on things you can do to improve domestic resilience, like having some bottled water, tinned food and wind-up radios.
The Chief of the Defence Staff, Sir Richard Knighton, this week said the threat from Russia meant Britain was living through the "most dangerous" period of his 35-year career in the armed forces. Some of the scenarios of what could happen next are being acted out in Sky’s new show The Wargame – a four-part series set nine months in the future where a high-profile, cross-party cabinet of former politicians (Conservative MP Michael Gove is the fictional PM) and experts simulate a war with Russia. The message is loud and clear: The realities of a hybrid war are something people are thinking about every day.
