Europe and the US step up civil emergency preparedness amid debate over the threat

Mixed · 2Governments in Europe and the United States are putting more emphasis on preparing households, infrastructure and military sites for prolonged disruption. 1 2 Centre · 1Late in October, the British government launched a national resilience campaign advising households to keep bottled water, non-perishable food, flashlights and emergency cash to last at least 72 hours without power or internet access. 1 Centre · 1Anadolu Agency reports that the campaign came with a warning from UK Defense Secretary Wes Streeting that Britain must be ready to fight a major war within 1,000 days. 1

Left · 1CBC News also reports Streeting's October warning that Britain must be "ready for war in 1,000 days", quoting him as saying: "To prevent the worst, we have to prepare for it." 3 Mixed · 2The European Commission's preparedness strategy, unveiled in March 2025, also calls for households to hold essential supplies for at least 72 hours, and covers threats from conflict and cyberattacks to natural disasters. 1 2 Left · 1CBC News says Britain's "Be Ready" campaign, a guide to 72 hours of self-sufficiency, was unveiled a week after the head of the British Army, Gen. Sir Roland Walker, told about 700 soldiers that political leaders would soon have a frank conversation with citizens about the risks; it was the first national public preparedness campaign since "Protect and Survive" in 1980, which backfired and was ridiculed. 3

Left · 1CBC adds that France, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Germany and Poland have also introduced or updated guidance; Sweden advises seven days and Germany up to 10, while the UK, like Canada, has settled on three days. 3 Right · 1The Washington Examiner op-ed says Denmark's Defense Intelligence Service warned on Sept. 24 that Russia was likely to intensify hybrid warfare against NATO and the West, including cyberattacks, sabotage and attacks on critical infrastructure, and that there was a low but growing risk of a limited Russian attack on a NATO country bordering Russia. 2 Right · 1The same op-ed says Lithuania held a national mobilization exercise from Sept. 25 to Oct. 3 involving 14 ministries, all 60 municipalities and about 150 institutions, testing evacuation, emergency communications, infrastructure protection and the reception of allied forces, and that Ireland, Belgium and the UK have expanded public preparedness messaging. 2

Mixed · 2In the US, the Pentagon's FORTRESS initiative, reported by Fox News on Oct. 25, reportedly envisages major military bases operating at least 90 days without outside support, using microgrids, portable nuclear reactors and strategic stockpiles. 1 2 Centre · 1Military planners present stronger preparedness as a way to deter attacks and reduce vulnerabilities, and Anadolu notes the push comes as NATO members pursue a 5% of GDP defense spending target by 2035. 1 Left · 1CBC cites Richard Horne, head of the UK's National Cyber Security Centre, who called this "a moment of urgency" and said Russian hybrid warfare campaigns are among the threats; the NCSC says AI-powered malicious software is "highly likely" to be used against UK power stations, airports and hospitals within two years. CBC also points to suspected hacking of supermarket freezers in several European countries and attempts to raise temperatures in French medical fridges holding blood stocks. 3

Centre · 1Iain Overton, executive director of Action on Armed Violence, told Anadolu that warnings of war risk a self-reinforcing cycle of fear that is used to justify military spending, that portrayals of Russia as both an existential threat and a weak, struggling military are contradictory, and that governments gain political convenience from an external enemy. Overton said Britain should be better prepared for disruption from many causes, but that presenting every resilience measure as war preparation creates unnecessary fear. 1 Left · 1CBC's reporting centres on public reaction in Britain: disaster-recovery specialist Lucy Easthope welcomed the campaign and said she was pleased the UK had not resorted to fear messaging, while a Hertfordshire family doctor, Nyari Matebwe, first thought it "scaremonger-y" before recent cyber incidents and bomb hoaxes made her reconsider; some Britons see a "nanny state" and others, such as Harrow parent Preyal Shah, are stockpiling food. CBC also notes the difficulty of staying connected given the planned switch of copper landlines to internet-only from the end of January 2027. 3 Right · 1The op-ed's author says none of this shows a European war is imminent and that preparing for contingencies is not a declaration of war, but argues the developments should not be dismissed. The author questions whether European publics would comply with emergency directives in a prolonged blackout and speculates that governments may also be raising awareness of Russia to build support for Ukraine aid and higher defense spending, while saying it is hard to determine whether that is intended. 2