CONFIDENTIAL
Chapter Three
safety. But however unlikely an accident may be, it is a clear duty of
Government to be prepared to deal with the consequences were one to
occur. For this reason the Department maintains special-to-role forces in
support of the Nuclear Accident Response Organisation, designed to respond to such incidents or accidents or those involving British nuclear
weapons, naval reactors or nuclear material overseas.
Military Task 1.3: Provision of Military Support to the Machinery of
Government in War
308. In transition to war or war the Government, at central or regional
levels, would need to draw on military support to maintain the
Machinery of Government in War (MGW). This requires provision of a military infrastructure, including communications and the maintenance
of secure key points; military support for civil defence and emergency planning; and specialist support, including Explosive Ordnance Disposal
(EOD) teams.
309. In the light of the reduced threat following the end of the Cold War,
the Home Secretary announced in November changes to the United
Kingdom's civil defence and emergency planning arrangements. These
include the disposal of a number of protected Regional Government Headquarters; the reconfiguration of the Emergency Communications Network; the replacement of the siren-based air attack warning system by arrangements based on the use of warnings broadcast over radio and television; and the cessation or reduction to a minimum of funding of a
number of civil defence related activities, which will result in the
cessation of funding for fire brigade war planning, a significant reduction in police war planning and the removal of wartime radiation monitoring
CONFIDENTIAL
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