Missile interceptors and pamphlets: how Europe is preparing for nuclear war

Homeland defence is not an abstract concept to the nations bordering Russia, nor is the nuclear threat, says Francis Tusa

- Francis Tusa

The pace of re-armament in Europe is accelerating and going in many unexpected directions. The most recent was a report in the French newspaper, Le Figaro, that the French SGDSN General Secretariat for Defence and National Security) has been preparing a new pamphlet providing advice on how the population might prepare itself for a conflict, including nuclear war.

For those who can remember the 1980s, this has echoes of the (at the time derided) pamphlet issued in the UK, “Protect And Survive”. France has not yet published and released its version – but it shows where the focus is for many European governments right now.

In November, Sweden updated its advice to the population about how to prepare for a war. Called “In case of crisis or war”, the 32-page pamphlet covers what stocks you should keep at home, public alarms and warnings in the event of a crisis, and what to do about your pet. It even has a link to the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (which published the booklet) to an interactive map for the locations of all the civil defence shelters across Sweden – most blocks of flats have one. An earlier version also had tips on guerilla warfare should an enemy invade.

All of the Nordic nations, as well as the Baltic states, have now issued similar guidance, and homeland defence is not some abstract concept – it is very real. Those states that border Russia, or are in close proximity to it, view the actual threat with the seriousness that it deserves.

As one example, last year, Sweden upped its home defence budget from SEK8.5bn (£650m) to SEK15bn (£1.15bn) over four years – and this might yet be accelerated. Quite a lot of the spending is set to be on stocks of things such as food, shelters, and medical supplies. If the same percentage of spending in Sweden on home defence was to be spent in the UK, the budget would be over £5bn annually.