Prepping for war

[Beansandcheesearegood]

Reading the news and really thinking war in some form will come sooner rather than later. Any basic prep we can do? Or just have enough food, water etc for a few days?

Just carry on with your life as usual, personally I think stocking up on thing's just creates panic and shortages. I’m overly not concerned at the moment.

Well if they push the button or send in the troops I don't really see what the prepping would be for, it wouldn't be like living in Allo Allo

Nothing much different from usual preps really. The point is Keir is prepping for war by building up the deterrent. We are a nuclear country, we carry a big stick. We are a member of NATO. We are more likely to get cyber attacks on our infrastructure such as the power grid.

Go bag.
Wind up radio,
Solar/battery lanterns and torches,
Power banks
Batteries
Means of cooking without electricity/gas. (BBQ, camping stove outdoors)
Knowing how to filter/ sterilise water for drinking and cooking. (Water purification tablets)
Be able to collect water.
Basic gardening skills. (Even pots of lettuce on a window sill in your flat)
Easy prep food. (Eat straight from tin, just add water, heat through from tin)
Multi vitamins
First aid kit with dressings. (kids can get through quite a few)
OTC and your prescription meds.
Warm clothes. And keeping warm without electricity,
Keeping cool in summer.
Cash in small denominations.
Supply of water/drinks
Hygiene supplies. (Makeshift loo) (Washing yourself, clothes, food, nappies, sanitary towels )
Email copies of important documents.

If you store food, make it the stuff you actually would eat anyway so it doesn't go to waste. Rotate stock. Buy gradually, strategically.

Have screenshotted this list, thanks x

Prepping for war is a complete waste of time, for two reasons.

1, We have nukes, so nobody is going to attack us. Deterrence works. It kept us safe throughout the Cold War (yes, I’m old enough to remember) and will do the same through this era. Putin may be evil, but he absolutely isn’t stupid. Trump may be stupid, but he’s trying to end wars, not fight more.

2, If deterrence fails, no amount of prepping is going to make the slightest bit of difference. The best any of us can hope for is for us and all our loved ones to be obliterated on the first day, because there will be nothing left worth surviving for.

This. I would prep for a modern war by watching Threads OP.

It’s defence experts that are advising preparing for war though. Maybe they feel that countries with nuclear weapons will still tend to fight conventionally and will avoid using them?
Even if no one attacks the UK, the chances of war in other parts of Europe is not slim and that means supply chain and food import challenges for the UK because global shipping lanes will be affected.

Whatever happens, disrupted supply chains might become a problem like they did during covid. We purchased some minimal stocks of supplies like rice, pasta, dried milk, sugar, flour and yeast, dried potato flakes, dried egg, dried fruit, tins of soup etc. Also made sure that we had adequate salt, pepper, herbs and the like.

Batteries and bulbs. Do you know where your household tools are should you need them? First aid kit?

We do need to remember that many will not be able to afford even minimum extras so if you can, give to food banks etc.

Also stocked up the wine cellar!

The UK Gov actually have a website dedicated to this situation and others such as flooding, drought etc.
https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/
It has helpful information on things to stock up on over time and what to do it something happens

where do you buy dried milk, dried potato flakes, and dried egg from?

I agree. I think it’s entirely possible we could see a conventional war that doesn’t go anywhere near nuclear weapons as nobody wants that outcome. I also feel that the likes of Putin would want to win a war through power, physical force and dominance - a literal flexing of muscle resulting in subjugation.

I take a threat seriously. My adult DS scoffs but I know if anything happens he'll be straight over to my house where he knows we have stocked up. I have enough bottled water for about a month if it was restricted to drinking, cleaning teeth and cooking, a cgas camping stove and 4 spare bombs so each one would last over a week, a generator to run freezer, 2 freezers full of food, loads of tins and dried food I rotate, so many batteries and torches, light bulbs that hold charge even in a power cut, about 100 toilet rolls, medications face masks, hand washes, about 24 cartons of long life milks and enough cat and dog food for over a month, a wind up phone charger, and tape that could seal around doors and windows. During COVID my DS came to get paracetamol and toilet rolls for himself and his friends. He knew I'd have plenty of stock. It's something to always have. I've got lots of other useful stuff too but I know many will find me OTT and paranoid. It just makes me feel a bit more secure.

Amazon have good quality stock, some organic, from British farms and suppliers.

As someone with a 19 year old in the Royal Navy, I am anxious about the future and what our batshit government are secretly planning behind closed doors. Two tier kier seems quite relaxed about sending young kids to the frontline on old knackered ships with poor living conditions on a paltry wage of £25k. When they sign up, we know it’s a possibility and part of the job, but the worry is real.

The Government are far from “batshit” on this topic. In fact, whatever the other domestic policies, we are doing well in our approach to defence and should be doing more.

I don’t imagine we’re going to see traditional warfare, but I expect cyber attacks and supply chain disruption. I keep some cash in the house, and have supplies of basics to keep us all going for a while. (Plenty of rice, pasta, tins and jars; cat food; sanitary products; household and cleaning supplies). I don’t think the reward is worth the cost for anything more than that.

@Xenzsyou can buy milk powder and Smash potato from the supermarket. We take them camping. Personally I wouldn’t bother with dried eggs.

When all fails, they take you to war. It increases government’s spending and gives more control over population. Digital slavery basically. High taxes and limited freedom

The UK government and past governments all planned for a long period of peace, like it was before Covid. Also everyone wanted to pay less tax, so increasing defence spending would have been difficult to justify especially if it meant cutting the NHS even more.

But it’s flipped now. We have more hostile, war mongering type politicians around the world now, which makes war around the world much more likely.
I don’t think it’s a Labour vs Conservative thing. I live in Australia and they are also facing up to defence spending realities too, The belief used to be that Australia was too far away from the world to worry about it but now you have cyber attacks, intercontinental ballistic missiles etc which can overcome distance.

It looks like Finland had it right, Being next door to Russia they kept up defence spending and have amazing underground shelters that can take the whole population and a well trained military force.

Not interested in prepping for war. I have 3 sons so I'd rather just die thanks than see that.

However I have Iodine tablets for the kids ( studied Chernobyl on my degree).

I just use the rule of thumb that I'm not doing what everyone else is doing on days 1-3 of any emergency. I have food, water etc. Everyone else who shops day to day can panic and clear the shelves. I don't need to. That gives me comfort in a scary world.

What iodine tablets do you have and how many?

Start building a bunker in your garden
Buy tins of Spam
Watch Threads and When The Wind Blows
Get off the internet and just live your life
Buy bunnies , chickens and pigs and fatten them up.

Keep Calm and Carry on...

These ones. Although really ideally I think the kids should be taking iodine even if not regularly. Then if there was a leak they would take up so much radioactive iodine. Because if I remember correctly Chernobyl happened and the kids had open windows that night.

Are people stepping up their prepping in light of Iran's threats? Possible cyber attacks or similar are more likely now. And supply chain shortages.

I prepped a lot before Brexit and wasted lots of money buying thing we didn't use in the end. Now I don't really dare buy anything 'extra'.

No one wants any panic buying like with Covid but what top prepping tips would you give a reluctant but nervous person who's worried about the current situation with Iran and in general also with Russia but who doesn't want to waste money buying the wing things and not using them. Or is this all exaggerated and people should just pipe for general things like extreme weather, local power outages and such like?

I don't prep for specific events, just every day needs. I always know that there will be dinner in for days, and that we have water if it goes off. It will help in any scenario, not just war.

Definitely no spam here! Only buy things you will eat on a normal day and have good stock rotation.