Sometimes, it seems as though, a country, like a person, can receive a message or a warning in the shape of an event that shows up a vulnerability. Whether one considers such a wake up call Divine providence or not, it can be instructive nevertheless.
The electric substation fire at Heathrow is in that category. Irrespective of blame (the Russians, Miliband, Starmer, a £22 billion black hole or whatever), it highlighted the far reaching implications of a small disaster creating a major one.
A terrorist or malign state actor could take advantage of such vulnerabilities even if they have not done so on this occasion. Four years ago, on the 23-29th March 2021, the container ship, Ever Given, blocked the Suez Canal (through which 12% of global trade travels) causing chaos. Not a lot of imagination is required to understand the potential implications, on us, of a planned blocking of a global trade waterway or waterways. Unless those who needed to learn the lesson have learnt the lesson and put remedies in place of course.
Security vulnerabilities of internal flights in the USA were addressed after 9/11, but seeing vulnerabilities and removing them before they were exposed would have been better. Acts of God and acts of unpleasant human beings should both be predicted and risks reduced.
The pandemic of 2020-1 was unexpected but, even if it wasn't, had unforeseen effects. A pandemic of some sort was expected though, but was always forecast sometime in the future. However, when a pandemic is detected as being one, it is already too late to make provisions. For something that was expected to happen "eventually" the headless chicken responses by governments did not indicate careful joined up forward planning in the slightest.
The resulting supply chain crisis that clogged up ports and waterways with supplies of computer games and garden furniture for locked-down citizens, prevented the delivery of vital components and raw materials and left containers abandoned on delivery rather than taken back, caused chaos and made just-in-time delivery impossible. Globalist trade economics ended.
Supply chains have been shortened since and reshoring a policy, but could it happen again in a different way? What of an agripandemic that affected global supplies of staple foods like wheat or rice?
The disruption of grain and other agricultural supplies from Ukraine and Russia were unexpected as was the cutting off of gas supplies.
Another black swan or black actor possibility could be a geomagnetic storm caused by a solar coronal mass ejection (like the Carrington effect of 1859) or artificial EMP (electromagnetic pulse) knocking out our tech with electromagnetic power. For how long or to what extent is unclear, but the implications are lost on most people. No salary payments, no ATMs, no shops able to process payments, etc, etc. Worst case, but confusion, panic and a collapse of law and order don't need a worst case, only a breakdown in communications, which would be a likely result without forward planning and public information.
Lone wolf terrorism is a recognised tactic of well known groups, but are the authorities prepared for multiple attacks organised from abroad? Just stop oil brought the M25 to a standstill. What could our enemies do? Take down a couple of rail bridges over the motorway?
Threats to this country led to the building of Martello towers in the early 19th century and forts plugging the Dorking gap (c1875) on the route to London by a possible invading force. Acting on foresight is essential.
Plugging gaps is expensive, but preferable to digging graves. In WWII and before, the installation of radar and the building of tank traps and pill boxes were regarded as a legitimate expense. Securing a substation and other publicly accessible energy and transport infrastructure is worth the cost to prevent a worse cost.
We cannot leave national security to supranationals. Admiral Beatty said that no country that depends on another country for its defence can truly be called free. As a sovereign post-Brexit nation we both have the freedom to look to our own security and the responsibility to do so thoroughly.