UK Developing Plans to Prepare Country for War

The United Kingdom is drawing up plans to prepare the entire country for a potential outbreak of war.

Alister Carns, the UK Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Deputy Defence Secretary, announced this, according to Sky News.

He underscored the vital role civilians would play in any large-scale conflict.

According to the minister, the army, navy, and air force respond to crises, but only together can “society, industry, and the economy win wars.”

“The shadow of war is once again knocking on Europe’s door. This is the reality. We must be ready to prevent it,” Carns said.

Pointing to the threat, he noted that the level of hostile intelligence activity such as espionage, hacking, and physical threats against the British Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence has increased by more than 50% over the past year.

Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea (DPRK) are suspected to be the main perpetrators.

Therefore, the government is creating a new counter-intelligence service to strengthen its ability to detect and disrupt intelligence operations carried out by hostile states.

Meanwhile, the UK government has taken steps to enhance the intelligence capabilities of the Ministry of Defence by merging various intelligence units of the army, navy, and air force, as well as the MoD’s own intelligence branch, into a new organization called the Military Intelligence Service.

Previously, the United Kingdom had a comprehensive plan for transitioning from peace to war. The document contained instructions for every part of society from the army and police to schools, hospitals, and even art galleries.

However, according to the broadcaster, this vast preparedness system, which was expensive to maintain, was put aside after the end of the Cold War.

In early December, the United Kingdom and Norway signed a cooperation agreement to counter the Russian submarine threat and protect underwater infrastructure in the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean.