The United Kingdom is rapidly developing plans to prepare the entire country for the possible outbreak of war, British Armed Forces Minister Alistair Carns said, according to Sky News. According to him, Europe is facing the shadow of war, as hostile intelligence activities against Great Britain have increased by fifty percent over the past year. «The shadow of war is knocking on Europe’s door once more. That is the reality. We must be prepared to deter it,» Sky News quotes the minister, who stated that Britain is rapidly preparing for war.
Carns made these remarks after NATO chief Mark Rutte stated on Thursday that Europe must prepare for a war like the one «our grandparents and great-grandparents experienced,» referring to the First and Second World Wars.
According to Carns, this danger is evidenced by Britain’s Friday revelation that the level of hostile intelligence activities — such as espionage, cyberattacks, and physical threats — against its armed forces and the Ministry of Defence has risen by more than 50 percent over the past year. The main suspects are Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, Sky News reports.
The Minister for the Armed Forces is a position subordinate to the Defence Secretary, with other ministers handling specific tasks within the department. Carns noted that many people in the country do not see, hear, or feel the danger, even though Russia’s war in Ukraine has been raging for nearly four years and is impacting, among other things, fuel prices. «We need to explain this to people so they understand—not to scare them, but to make them realistic and aware of where these threats come from and why defence and a whole-of-society approach are so important,» Carns said.
Sky News reported that the British government is establishing a new counter-intelligence unit to strengthen its ability to detect and disrupt intelligence operations by hostile states.
Carns added that Britain is addressing the situation by preparing society as well. «A whole range of work is currently underway between the Ministry of Defence, the Cabinet Office, and across society, concerning what conflict means, what everyone’s role in society would be if we went to war, and how to prepare for it,» he said.»It’s not just about deploying the army, but about protecting every inch of our territory. This work is now underway and developing rapidly,» he concluded.
The United Kingdom once had a comprehensive plan for transitioning from peace to war. The Government War Book, developed over decades, contained guidelines for all parts of society—from the army and police to schools, hospitals, and even art galleries. However, after the end of the Cold War, the government sidelined it. According to Sky News, Carns has indicated that Britain might once again have such directives.