EU warns millions to stockpile supplies in case of war – should the UK do the same?

The European Union has told its almost 450million citizens to prepare for war or natural disaster by assembling ’72 hour survival kits’.

But as the UK ramps up defence spending and assembles a ‘coalition of the willing’ to protect Ukraine, British preparedness for conflict is now under the microscope.

The British government has not yet asked Britons to compile their own war survival kits, but they have a been preparing pages of advice on what we should do if other disasters takes hold.

Experts have also weighed in and told Metro that crisis packs could be crucial far earlier than a future military conflict might have you think.

Why did the European Union choose 72 hour stockpiles?

The stockpile order is driven by cyber conflict and not by a fear of military conflict, says Professor Peter Jackson, the University of Glasgow’s Chair in Global Security.

This is because while it might take seven years for Russia to be ready for another ground invasion of a Western country, they have the power to launch other kinds of attacks.

He told Metro: ‘Russia is very capable and much inclined to mount very sophisticated attacks on national infrastructure.

‘So much of our critical infrastructure happens online.

‘If a cyber attack was able to hit at power stations, for example, and deprive citizens of access to electricity.

‘Those are the kind of scenarios a 72 hour pack would be intended to combat. I do not think it is about the Russians invading.

‘If traffic alarms go out, or the banking system goes down. A cyber attack could throw British and European society into quite considerable chaos.

‘Starter packs make more sense in those scenarios.’

One little known weak spot are the ‘vital undersea cables which converge in Irish waters’ and which Ireland is underprepared to protect.

The Professor added: ‘There are lots of vulnerabilities that would be targeted long before the British public would be threatened with another land war.’

Russia needs to rely on cyber conflict because a military one would be entirely different to anything going on in Ukraine.

One example is Finland, a top Putin target, says Peter.

The country has 180,000 ‘very well trained and highly motivated troops’, making invasion a very tough obstacle for Russia.

Should the UK issue a similar stockpile warning to the European Union?

So should the UK do the same? Professor Jackson thinks Starmer should focus on other things first.

‘We should be increasing the security of Britain’s critical infrastructure and our ability to thwart cyber attacks,’ he added.

‘I think it is already a priority for the UK government, but it will only become more acute, especially as the UK industry becomes more oriented toward defence production.’

Army veteran and survival guru Leigh Price, however, believes we should all have a survival kit, even if the likelihood of an invasion ‘is small’.

Leigh, who runs survival courses and sells survival equipment from the Bug Out Shop, told Metro: ‘An emergency kit is still a good idea.

‘We cannot totally prepare for conflict. If you had to vacate your home, you need a survival kit in your bag to grab at a moment’s notice.

‘If you are at home and a missile strikes, you have got to make sure you have stuff at home to make your life comfortable.’

What should we pack in a survival kit?

Veteran Leigh says there are four priorities for what we need to include in our emergency pack: food, water, shelter and medical first aid.

His range of freeze-dried tinned food – his most popular item – can last until 2050. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he says prices of food tins skyrocketed by 56%.

The survival pro added: ‘There is only so much perishable food you can cover, so that is why you need ‘freeze-dried food.

‘But you also need some way of heating it your food, so your kit needs to have a little stove.’

People often pack in three-day emergency kits with bottled water, but Leigh says that does not go far enough.

‘Water bottles are also only going to go so far. If you want to up your game you can get a water filter, so you can filter anything you find,’ he added.

Swiss Army knives also commonly feature in survival kit guides, but there may be more important blades and basics we should prioritise.

‘You do not want everyone running round with a knife like John Rambo. You might needs tins of food, you have just got to cover the basics like a tin opener.

‘You need personal documents to identify yourself. There might be an injury, what is your blood type? What allergies do you have?

‘You also will need warm clothing.’What happens in the first 72 hours of a natural disaster or war?

What does the government tell us to do in case of an emergency?

The EU’s announcement comes just a week after France decided to issue 20-page survival manuals.

In it are 63 measures on how the French can protect themselves from armed conflict, natural disasters, industrial accidents and nuclear leaks.

Keir Starmer has not done the same in the UK.

In fact, Metro could not find a single government web page dedicated to advice to Brits in case of a military conflict hitting the UK.

There are other government pages with information on more general ‘natural hazards’, infrastructure failure’ or ‘severe weather’.

‘Emergencies happen every day in the UK and across the world,’ the government’s ‘Prepare’ campaign website says.

Officials advice for us to be informed about the risks in our local area, and to accordingly sign up for alerts and warnings.

We should also learn basic first aid skills.

There is also a downloadable and printable household emergency plan, which includes emergency contact details and a three-step plan of action in cases disaster strikes outside your house.

The government tells us to ‘go in’, ‘stay in’ and ‘tune in’.

This means close all windows and doors, stay inside, and tune in to national and local news and follow official advice for what to do next.

If war does come to Europe, Professor Jackson is concerned the UK and Europe need to prepare for the U.S. to remain on the sidelines.

He said: ‘The EU and UK need to invest heavily in the intelligence assets the US military enjoys. Such as imaging, geo-spacing, and very powerful listening capabilities.

‘They also need a replacement for Starlink.’

Starlink is the constellation of satellites owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and has been used by Ukraine to carry out military operations against Russia.

Peter warned Europe and the UK they need to be ready for a world in which they cannot access Musk’s space network.

‘If it gets shut down, they are in real real trouble’.

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