What does a new War Book look like for the UK?
Readiness and resilience are vital in uncertain times.
Are we ready for war? It’s a question that is seemingly asked more and more as the world grows more dangerous.
Are we ready to respond to the emerging threats we face? It’s a question that is being asked more often as geopolitical risk increases.
The conversation is often about our Armed Forces; the number of those serving, the kit and weapons they have access to, and if the capabilities to defend ourselves are available.
But one thing has become manifestly clear: having a plan about how as a nation we respond and recover from impacts - whether physical, economic or cyber - is no longer a nice-to-have, it is an imperative. The Chief of Defence Staff, Sir Richard Knighton has now said the UK is preparing a new version of the Government “War Book” which was first developed during World War 1.
The War Book was about much more than just how the military responds, but how society and the economy remain resilient and continue to function during a time of crisis. The modern version will need to drive a whole society conversation, and involvement from industry and business as well as government.
For organisations like Serco, delivering critical public services, we have an important role to play in the planning and testing of the nation’s plans. We know the reliance put on us by governments to deliver critical public services to citizens, but we also know how those services support the nation’s resilience and readiness. Our job is to know how we can stay fully aligned to meet societies’ needs, regardless of the impact or disruption from events.
Resilience often runs counter to the emphasis on efficiency that has dominated thinking on public finances for the last three decades. It involves duplication and dispersal, but as new threats emerge, we need to ensure we have the resilience in our systems that enable us to be flexible enough to absorb shock and respond. It’s something we take very seriously at Serco, working with our expert colleagues at the UK Resilience Academy , we’re developing plans to enhance our own organisational resilience and readiness.
Recommended by LinkedIn
Today, you’ll find our teams at the UK’s critical bases, from the three Naval Bases to RAF Fylingdales operating the ballistic missile early warning to the UK and US.
The War Book will need to consider how civilian contractors will be mobilised in a scenario where the UK has been attacked, how peace time rules and regulations will need to change to support defence of the nation, and “Break glass” options for contractors in a time of crisis that protects organisations. It is vital that industry is involved in wargaming and scenario exercising for how the UK would respond to an attack on its soil.
Mobilising the wider population is another important element, including how to prepare the UK’s strategic reserve and how we muster veterans and reservists. This is especially important for those who work for organisations delivering critical roles – whether in the defence industry, emergency services or other important industries such as NHS, Prisons, Critical National Infrastructure, including utilities and transport hubs.
The War Book will also need to consider how we can fill capability gaps; and developing plans to recruit, train and mobilise wider society if required.
And as we consider what else the War Book will entail, it will need to include plans to ensure public services continue to function and function well in order to support a society under the strain of war. Government will need to work collaboratively with partners, with industry bringing capacity to maintain services, as well as the need to adapt or propose new ways of providing administrative services and the creation of entirely new services.
There are many difficult questions. It is clear the conversation is going to continue as the War Book develops. The UK is a different country than it was when the War Book was first developed. A 21st Century version will require a whole of society approach – civil society, academia and business - if we are to build our resilience and readiness. We look forward to sharing our learnings and help ensure that we are ready to respond to the threats we face.
Serco raises a timely question here. A modern War Book has to account for threats well beyond conventional warfare now, with cyber, supply chains, and critical infrastructure all in scope. Readiness and resilience really are the right lens for these uncertain times.
Important to raise this key and unplatable dimension to our new times. Just to note that when the old War Book began to gather dust in the 1990s, the range and depth of public services provided by the private sector was still relatively small. Now a new War Book will have to factor in some critical providers (with some complex contractual arrangements to boot) which the Government has no day to day control of.
This company suffers from ageism.
An interesting article, but with a serious flaw. Fiona assumes that the UK government will allow the country to be drawn into a conventional all out conflict. This itself assumes that the UK government would be prepared to accept significant numbers of civilian deaths. I very much doubt this.
This article was originally published in the New Statesman and can be found here: https://www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/2026/05/what-does-a-new-war-book-look-like-for-the-uk