From the World Economic Forum, July 30:
Think the unthinkable. Then write it down. That’s the mission for a new team working inside the French army.
The “red team” will be made up of science fiction writers tasked with coming up with challenging scenarios military strategists might not have thought of.
Whether it’s a terrorist incident or a major fire, civil defence and emergency services need to rehearse their responses to ensure they are as effective as possible. The situations imagined by the red team – made up of a handful of writers – will be acted out by those first-responders.
These envisioned threats will depict what might happen if terrorist groups or state-sponsored attackers arm themselves with novel tools and techniques to wreak havoc.
Likely threats
Among the global risks most likely to dominate civil defence agendas in the near future are climate change, cyberattacks and natural disasters. According to The Global Risks Report 2019 from the World Economic Forum, these threats rank highly in terms of the impact they could have.
The French army is already equipping some of its soldiers with Black Hornets – personal reconnaissance drones that measure around 15cm (6 inches) in length, weigh just 33 grams (1 ounce), and allow the user to see over walls or around obstacles to identify hidden dangers........MORE
