Government creates new war book to guide UK response to conflict
The government is writing a new war book to set out how departments and local services would respond to a major conflict, with plans due by the end of the year.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The government is reportedly compiling a new "war book" that will set out how the United Kingdom would respond to a major conflict. The document is intended to cover the actions of every government department, as well as local services including the fire service, police, reserve centres, local councils and critical national infrastructure.
According to former Armed Forces Minister Al Carns, the original plan was for all war plans to be completed by the end of this year. He said he had been working with Dan Jarvis to ensure this happened. Mr Carns also noted that mobilising all or part of the strategic reserve would come down to money and the cost of calling up personnel. He stressed the need to rehearse the plans regularly, as was done during the Cold War, so that everybody knew their role in advance.
A fuller interview with Mr Carns has been published on Sky News's YouTube channel.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Sky News |
|---|---|
| The ability to mobilise the strategic reserve depends on funding and cost. | |
| The government is creating a new war book to outline its response to a major conflict. | |
| War plans were expected to be completed by the end of this year. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News focused on the practical planning behind the war book, including the role of former Armed Forces Minister Al Carns and the timeline for completion. It highlighted the financial constraints on mobilising the strategic reserve and drew a comparison with Cold War rehearsal habits. The tone was informative and slightly urgent, with a cross-promotion to a longer interview.
- “The plan was and I was working with Dan Jarvis and others to ensure this took place that the war plans were written by the end of this year.”
- “Immobilising bits of or all of the strategic reserve will be down to one key thing which will be money and the cost it will take to mobilise people.”
- “We used to do this in Cold War very well.”
Broadcast Timeline
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