According to national newspaper stories, UK ministers are seeking to amend and modernise national defence and security plans in light of a growing and complex threat posed by the Kremlin
The UK is quietly refreshing its strategy for responding to a significant cyberattack by Russia amid concerns the country is not prepared for war, it has been reported.
Reflecting ongoing tensions with the Kremlin, the Cabinet Office’s Resilience Directorate is reportedly set to update decades old contingency plans to ensure the UK can respond to threats of attack by hostile foreign states.
Last updated in 2005, the existing document is understand not to contain consideration of current major threats such as cyberattacks on critical national infrastructure including gas terminals, undersea cables, nuclear power plans and transport hubs.
First reported by The Telegraph, the update to the classified “homeland defence plan” will outline a strategy for the days after an attack on the UK mainland. It will include scenarios in which the UK is hit by cyber incidents, as well as conventional missiles and nuclear warheads.
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A risk assessment published in January found that a successful attack was “likely to result in civilian fatalities as well as members of the emergency services”, seriously impacting the economy and disrupting essential services.
The strategy will now reportedly address cyber warfare for the first time – which spy chiefs believe is now one of the most dangerous threats the UK faces.
The purported update follows Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden warning Nato members of a looming Russian cyberattack that could shut down the power grid and “turn the lights off for millions of people” .
The new contingency plans are expected to outline how the prime minister and his cabinet should run a wartime government and when they should seek shelter in the Downing Street bunker or outside London.
War strategies for the rail and road networks, courts, postal system and phone lines are also expected to be reviewed.
PublicTechnology sister publication Holyrood contacted the Ministry of Defence for comment.
A version of this story originally appeared on PublicTechnology sister publication Holyrood
