Missile strikes, deliberate pandemic & protecting royals – inside British military drills for war on UK soil

The Sun

4 hours ago

MINISTERS have warned Britain could face a "wartime scenario" and unveiled plans for how the country will prepare to face threats.
A chilling new national security blueprint set out what the UK can expect as Russia, China and Iran ramp up threats.
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The stark message came as the PM jetted into The Hague for a crunch NATO summit, where leaders confirmed plans for all allies to spend five per cent of GDP on defence and security by 2035.
Sir Keir Starmer admitted the country faces 'daily challenges on the home front' when asked about the growing threat after the security strategy's release.
The Government's strategy lays bare the scale of the danger, warning: 'We are in an era in which we face confrontation with those who are threatening our security.
'For the first time in many years, we have to actively prepare for the possibility of the UK homeland coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario.'
The new plan focuses on three key areas - protecting the UK at home, working with allies to strengthen global security, and rebuilding Britain's defence industries and technological capabilities.
But the PM is now facing growing pressure to explain how they will afford the huge jump in defence spending needed to meet NATO's 2035 target.
The warning comes after Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general, declaring that without a major increase in defence spending, the British 'better learn to speak Russian'.
The strategy said threats from other countries are on the rise.
It revealed that the UK has been "directly threatened by hostile activities including assassination, intimidation, espionage, sabotage, cyber attacks and other forms of democratic interference".
Annual drills for terror attacks, assassinations and missile strikes
Britain will hold annual drills to prepare for a wide range of enemy attacks.
The new national security strategy on Tuesday included plans for the exercises designed to test the country's "whole-of-society preparedness".
These will include war and other security threats such as sabotage to power plants and undersea cables.
Ministers have committed to the annual drills which will test the response to the Government, emergency services and devolved administrations.
Possible drills may include a missile strike by a foreign state, a mass terror attack, cyber attacks or the assassination of a public figure.
The first drill will be held this autumn and will be codenamed "Pegasus".
It will test how the Government and other public bodies would respond to a new global pandemic - five years after Covid-19 wrecked havoc across the country, triggering multiple lockdowns.
According to The Telegraph, the drills will involve thousands of civil servants over several months.
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Mock-ups of emergency Cobra meetings
Part of these preparedness drills will include mock-ups of Cobra meetings, which are held in an emergency.
These are held in the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms in Whitehall.
The meetings are held to co-ordinate the actions of Government bodies in response to national or sometimes regional emergencies.
COBRA meetings are also held during overseas events that could have a major impact on the UK.
They are held in the event of catastrophic emergencies, including natural disasters, terrorist attacks and major industrial accidents or disruption.
For example, following the 9/11 attacks COBRA was used to take the decision to immediately close UK airspace.
Depending on the emergency, officials and agencies most closely involved will already be handling many of the immediate decisions.
In a terrorist attack, the emergency services and security services will already be responding, while in the event of floods or other natural disaster the Environment Agency, local authorities and emergency services will be coordinating action straight away.
Convening it can sometimes be a way for prime ministers to indicate that they are taking action and have a grip of the situation.
Between January and April 2020, at least 16 COBRA meetings took place as the Covid pandemic intensified.
Sir Keir Starmer also chaired COBRA in response to the 2024 summer riots following the Southport tragedy.
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Cold War-style "protect and survive" films
Tuesday's report also promised "greater vigilance to the public" going forward.
This may lead to a return of Cold War-style "protect and survive" information films.
They were used between 1974 and 1980.
These advised the public on how to survive a nuclear attack.
Instructions included how to prepare a fallout room, stockpiling supplies like food and water, and recognising warning signals.
Escape plans for politicians and the Royal Family
According to The Telegraph, the Cabinet Office civil servants are running a complex war game.
It would set out the movements of ministers in the hours after a major attack by a hostile state.
This would include how senior politicians would escape if London was bombed.
It would also plan where the Royal Family would be taken to keep them safe during such an attack.
The plans were last updated more than two decades ago.
A new network of biosecurity centres
Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden told the House of Commons that the plan is "both clear-eyed and hard-edged about the challenges we face".
The strategy will boost the UK's capabilities in shipbuilding, nuclear power and artificial intelligence.
The Government will also spend £1billion on a "new network of national biosecurity centres".
These are aimed at improving the UK's defences against biological attacks.
It is also intended to reduce the country's dependence on others, "including the ability of adversaries to coerce or manipulate us".
RAF pilots to get nuclear bombers for the first time in 30 years
RAF Top Guns will get nuclear bombers for the first time in 30 years — after PM Sir Keir Starmer said we must prepare for possible war.
The F-35As will be based at RAF Marham in Norfolk, which housed Britain's air-launched nuclear weapons until 1998.
That was the year then— PM Tony Blair scrapped Britain's air-launched bomb, the WE-177.
The new B-61 bombs, made by US -firm Lockheed Martin, can take out small areas — unlike Trident 2 missiles on Britain's submarines which can obliterate whole cities.
The F-35As can also carry conventional weapons.
The announcement came as a new National Security Strategy warned: 'For the first time in many years, we have to actively prepare for the possibility of the UK homeland coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario.'
The Government said the jets would support Nato's nuclear mission.
Ahead of today's Nato summit in The Hague, Sir Keir said: 'In an era of radical uncertainty we can no longer take peace for granted, which is why my Government is investing in our national security.'
The strategy highlighted Russia's invasion of Ukraine as the most pressing example.
And it warned Kremlin-backed cyber attacks and Iranian hostile activity in the UK are also increasing.
It added: 'Some adversaries are laying the foundations for future conflict, positioning themselves to move quickly to cause major disruption to our energy and/or supply chains, to deter us from standing up to their aggression.'
The strategy said the UK's enemies are spreading disinformation and using social media to "stoke tensions between generations, genders and ethnic groups".
Critical infrastructure such as undersea cables will "continue to be a target", the document added.
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