British civilians and businesses would be asked to “do their bit†and make sacrifices to help defend the UK in the event of a full-scale military conflict, under plans being discussed in Whitehall to prepare the country for war.
The head of the armed forces, Gen Sir Rich Knighton, revealed earlier this month that the Government is to revive the blueprint for Britain's preparation for a conflict that directly threatened the country, known as the War Book.
The framework, which was last updated during the Cold War but cancelled more than 20 years ago, is being updated for the modern era and is expected to include measures to prevent an adversary such as Russia from cutting internet and communication access for Britons or flooding social media with propaganda designed to destabilise the population on the outbreak of war.
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While Russia is already engaged with forms of “grey zone†activity against the UK, including online disinformation campaigns and running covert submarine operations near undersea cables, experts and insiders believe this would be stepped up in tandem with military action as a tactic to weaken the resolve of Britons.
War manual for householders and businesses
The War Book is also expected to detail plans on how the Government would keep supplies of food, medicines, energy and industrial components flowing during wartime.
Industry chiefs are already concerned about this issue, including food security, and an MoD wargame exercise 18 months ago identified that supply chains were “largely designed for peacetime operating (with minimal resistance), not warâ€.
The new version of the War Book is being worked on in Whitehall and its contents are being kept under wraps.
As with the original blueprint, the reissued book will be for Government departments and the military to help prepare for war, and is not designed for public consumption.
But ministers are also considering commissioning a separate booklet for ordinary households and businesses, similar to those published in Sweden and Taiwan, for how they should prepare for war, it is understood.
Insiders believe under a wartime scenario the Government and military would not be able to do everything and the war effort would require a greater contribution from the public, private sector and civilian public authorities.
UK needs to relearn the lessons from the Cold War
The official War Book is expected to be finalised by the end of this year, The i Paper understands.
It comes as Sir Keir Starmer and Defence Secretary John Healey have faced criticism over delays to the Defence Investment Plan, which will set out how the Government intends to buy military equipment needed to boost the armed forces over the next 10 years.
Asked at the London Defence Conference this month whether the Government was reviving the War Book, Knighton said: “I think that's right. What we have seen since the end of the Cold War is the peace dividend being cashed in right across the nation and society.
He added that while the UK needs to relearn some of the lessons from the Cold War, “we're doing it in a modern context, with a modern society, with modern infrastructureâ€.
The Government declined to comment further on what would be in the War Book.
But The i Paper has talked to defence insiders and experts on what is likely to be included.
‘Everyone will need to do their bit'
While the War Book would not be for ordinary citizens, defence insiders have acknowledged that public awareness of preparing for emergencies such as armed conflict should be improved.
One of the major themes of last year's Strategic Defence Review (SDR) was the need for a “whole society†approach to defence, including protecting the homeland.
The Government launched a special section of the MoD devoted to homeland defence in August 2024, designed to build the UK's resilience to conflict and bring together military and civilian efforts in the event of war.
Knighton told the London conference that the Government and military needed to “help the population understand some of those threats and help them understand what they can do to support the nation and potentially support the Armed Forcesâ€.
Unlike places closer to Russia and China, like Sweden and Taiwan, the UK does not issue a printed booklet to households on how to get ready for war, but this is something under consideration as part of improving public awareness.
Britons are currently advised to use the Government's Prepare website as a blueprint for preparing for a crisis.
The Swedish version tells citizens “everyone must do their part to defend Sweden's independence – and our democracy†if it comes under attack, adding: “In this brochure, you learn how to prepare for, and act, in case of crisis or war. You are part of Sweden's overall emergency preparedness.â€
The booklet says in the event of a serious incident, “most of us must be able to manage on our own for at least a weekâ€, including relying on their own stockpiles of water for drinking, cooking and cleaning, tinned food and sources of heat, as well as battery or solar-powered radios and power supplies.
These sorts of tips are already on the Prepare website and so would be expected to be included in a UK version of this booklet.
But insiders are also keen to make clear that the public will have to play a role in the war effort. One said: “Everyone will need to do their bit.â€
Conservative MP and former Army officer Ben Obese-Jecty said: “The Government's update of the War Book must be fit for the modern age.
“The Defence Readiness Bill is a key part of that framework and its delay is hampering preparation.
“The Government must articulate what a transition to war will look like for the general population. There is no longer any muscle memory.
“We need to understand what the chains of command would be for civil defence, all the way up to the nuclear firing chain; who is number 2 to Keir Starmer?
“As a society we are wholly unprepared for a major conflict, from the absence of a mortuary affairs capability in the armed forces to the inability of the Government to even publish the defence readiness bill. The Government is riding its luck and we can ill-afford to pay lip service to such a crucial issue.â€Â
Food security urgently needs improving
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the war in Iran has fuelled concerns about the UK's food security, particularly because it has led to a blockade of stocks of fertiliser needed by British farmers for this year's harvest.
The War Book would likely set out plans for how Government departments like the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and the Department for Business and Trade, would work with food, farming and high street sectors to make them more resilient.
This could include arrangements for the UK to depend more on its own food production – similar to the conversion of land to “dig for victory†allotments during the Second World War – if armed conflict cut off freight routes into Britain.
The National Farmers' Union (NFU) said the issue of food security needed to be looked at as a matter of urgency across Government.
NFU president Tom Bradshaw told The i Paper: “Feeding 70 million people relies on a strong and resilient domestic food supply and that requires prioritisation and recognition across Government. This goes beyond Defra, now is the time for all departments across Whitehall to act.â€
A wargame exercise conducted by the MoD in December 2004 found that UK “supply chains are largely designed for peacetime operating (with minimal resilience), not warâ€, according to a letter to the defence committee from MoD permanent secretary David Williams last July.
An MoD spokesperson said: “Our Armed Forces are only as strong as the industry that equips and sustains them, which is why we are increasing national warfighting readiness.
“Backed by the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, we are investing £6bn in munitions this Parliament, including £1.5bn in an ‘always on' pipeline and building at least six new energetics and munitions factories in the UK.â€
Infrastructure
In a speech last December, the chief of the defence staff said that when the UK was renewing its water, electricity or transport infrastructure, it needed to think about the threat of action from an adversary above the threshold of war, not just as a “hybrid threatâ€.
Water treatment plants and reservoirs, power plants and major transport hubs are all designated critical national infrastructure (CNI), which could be targeted during armed conflict – not just by military strikes but by cyber attacks on the digital systems that run them.
A wartime scenario would probably have military and civilian guards stationed at CNI targets, as well as cyber protections already in place.
Paul Mason, honorary senior fellow at the University of Exeter's Centre for the Public Understanding of Defence and Security, told The i Paper that Local Resilience Forums – run by councils for emergency scenarios – would be expected to pitch in to help the military.
He said: “At some point we might be told, the police are too busy guarding RAF Brize Norton, local councils, you need to find your own resources.
“Get some yellow bibs, find some shovels and get cracking because in a war, the army does what it's trained to do.â€
Internet and communication
Defence insiders believe that Britain's cyber security would be a primary target for Russia in an armed conflict situation.
Earlier this month, Healey revealed that the Royal Navy and RAF had tracked three Russian subs in waters north of the UK, suspected of mapping crucial undersea telecommunications cables.
If war were to break out, Russia or other adversaries could attempt to cut off Britain's digital access – which could cause social unrest.
An enemy could alternatively try to flood social media with disinformation and propaganda designed to undermine unity among British citizens at a time when the nation needed to come together.
Mason said there needed to be an urgent public debate about what civil society would be prepared to give up in terms of internet access if war broke out.
He said: “I think it's at least legitimate that we in civil society have our say on what we think the principles should be.
“Either you have Chinese-style controls over the internet or it gets switched off. There's no other option.â€
Hospitals and schools
The original War Book included plans to use hospitals for emergencies only, and for the closure of schools.
Similar measures, such as the cancellation of non-urgent operations and school closures, were imposed during the Covid pandemic and it is likely the outbreak of war would require another drastic change to public services.
Hospitals would also need to prepare plans for treating patients injured by drone attacks or chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.
The UK already has plans in place to safeguard its stockpiles of urgent medicines, although there have been recent shortages of some painkillers, HRT treatments and Parkinson's medication.
The new War Book plans are likely to include details of improving medicine supply chains in readiness for possible conflict.
Military
If the UK were to be engaged in a direct conflict, which threatened Britain itself, it would likely need a mass mobilisation of armed forces.
The British military currently has around 136,000 regular personnel and 32,000 reservists.
A report by RUSI last week warned that these numbers needed to be increased to prepare for a prolonged war, saying: “Policymakers and the public should be disabused of the idea that the UK's armed forces do not need to field a large force to match a potential enemy or adversary, or that the UK can get away with leaving detailed planning until the event itself.â€
The SDR last year called for the British Army to be increased from its current force of 72,000 to 100,000, although the Defence Secretary said this would not be possible during this parliament.
Even if enough people were willing to sign up, the pace of recruitment means it would take around 18 months at a minimum to boost numbers, insiders believe.
