The Unseen War Within

The UK’s government has been urging citizens to stockpile food, water, and prepare for potential disruptions due to the threat of war. But what lies behind this call to arms? It’s not the tanks or bombs that should concern us, but rather the invisible threads that weave modern warfare – cyber attacks, hacking, and asymmetric threats.

Historian Margaret MacMillan notes that it’s not conventional war we need to worry about, but the possibility of cyber attacks cutting through our digital lifelines. The UK’s Chief of Defence Staff, Sir Richard Knighton, has sounded the alarm on Russia’s threat, citing the most dangerous period in his 35-year career.

The UK’s experience of modern warfare is vastly different from that of its grandparents. For 80 years, it has been spared war on its own soil. The legacy of World War I still lingers in collective imagination – the pain and grief etched into the landscape with thousands of memorials. However, our understanding of war has changed significantly since then.

Europeans have succumbed to a “crisis of disbelief,” argues Andrew Michta, professor of strategic studies at the University of Florida. This crisis stems from decades-long low defence spending and a mistaken belief that relationships with aggressive nations like Russia can be managed through politics and economics alone. The Nord Stream gas pipelines illustrate how Germany’s reliance on Russian energy has blinded it to the real threat.

General Sir Richard Shirreff warns that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014 marked a turning point – a tenacious threat to western security that cannot be ignored. We need to prepare for indirect warfare, not just conventional battles. The calls for increased defence spending are rooted in a desire to prevent war by being ready to fight one.

However, psychologist Jim Orford argues that our thinking on this issue is simplistic – reducing complex threats to enemies and heroes. We need to think more critically about the nature of modern warfare, rather than relying on outdated notions of heroism and victory.

As we face this new reality, we must confront our own psychological preparedness for war. Are we ready to face the possibility of cyber attacks, hacking, and asymmetric threats? Or are we trapped in a cycle of complacency and denial?

Preparing for disruptions means acknowledging the invisible threads of modern warfare and being prepared to adapt – not just militarily, but psychologically as well. We need to think critically about our place in this new world order and confront the unseen war within.

Stockpiling food and water is only half the challenge; we also need to prepare ourselves for the complexities of modern warfare head-on. It’s only by doing so that we can truly be ready – not just militarily, but as a society – to face whatever threats come our way.

The clock is ticking. Will we rise to the challenge or remain stuck in a cycle of complacency? The choice is ours, and the time for action is now.