France to begin prep for “imminent” survival scenarios

Drastic new measures will be deployed to ensure every person of France is equipped for a time of national crisis.

The French government has announced it will supply households across the country with survival manuals in a move mirroring other European nations.

If approved by French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, the 20-page booklet will be distributed to every household in the French summer in late June.

The booklet will include three key sections; how to protect yourself and those around you, what to do if a threat is imminent and how to get involved in protecting your community.

France's Prime Minister Francois Bayrou leaves after the weekly cabinet meeting at the Elysee presidential Palace in Paris on March 19, 2025. Picture: Ludovic MARIN / AFP

Finland and Sweden enacted similar measures, distributing millions of booklets throughout their respective populations in response to escalated military tension across Europe.

The two Nordic countries are only a stone’s throw away from Russia, and since Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, they have been quietly prepping their governments and their civilian populations for a worst-case scenario

Sweden's Minister for Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin presents the new version of the preparedness booklet "If the crisis or war comes", that has been distributed to all households, in Stockholm, Sweden on November 18, 2024. Five million pamphlets have been supplied to residents urging them to prepare for the possibility of war. Picture: Claudio BRESCIANI / TT News Agency / AFP

“The survival manual aims to encourage citizens to develop their resilience in the face of different crises,” a spokeswoman for the French PM said.

“This includes natural disasters, technological and cyber incidents, health crises like Covid-19, and security crises like terrorist attacks and armed conflict.”

A graphic on the French government’s information website highlights some of the key items required for a 72-hour go-bag.

A graph representing the contents of a 72-hour go-bag which can be viewed on the French Government's website. Picture: supplied

Necessary items include water, non-perishables, medicine, a torch, matches, a phone charger, keys, photocopied documents, glasses and even card games.

France’s defence minister Sebastien Lecornu announced on Tuesday that the French Air and Space Force will soon be ordering a fleet of Rafale fighter jets to bolster the nation’s military capabilities.

Defence analysts have predicted as many as 40 fighter jets could be added to the French arsenal as part of the deal.

A Rafale fighter jet landing on the French aircraft carrier 'Charles de Gaulle' off Chania military base, Crete island. Picture Theophile Bloudanis / AFP)

French citizens are wary of the tensions that are building across Europe, and many have expressed a need for prudence and careful planning during uncertain times.

“It’s very important to be prepared, and I think the government is taking the right steps. I’m not worried about a war on French soil, but people need to know what to do, just in case,” a 19-year old French waiter told CNN in Paris.

“Basic things like water and medicine should be given to every household,” he said.

25-year-old primary school teacher Laure Mourgue d’Algue said the government’s choice to disperse a safety manual “made sense from a standpoint of prevention.”

“Nordic countries like Sweden and Denmark are more psychologically prepared than France. Having a basic knowledge of what you need to survive – like knowing how to handle electricity – is important in terms of risk management, ” she said.

“Psychological safety matters, and a piece of paper won’t provide that. We need training.”

Soldiers from the 13th counter intelligence battalion, 2nd reconnaissance platoon of the Swedish Armed Forces, participate in military exercise in Kungsangen, near Stockholm on February 27, 2024. Picture: Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP

Center for Strategic & International Studies’ (CSIS) Defence and Security Department head Seth G. Jones believes Russia “poses a serious threat” to Europe.

“Defence is necessary, but not sufficient. It isn’t particularly costly for Russia and is unlikely to coerce Moscow into ending, or even reducing, its active measures,” he said.

CSIS actively maps Russian military activity in the Arctic, and its data shows that Russians have conducted military exercises as deep into EU and NATO heartland as the English Channel.

A map from the Centre for Strategic & International Studies maps Russian military activity around the Arctic. The blue dots represent NATO activity and the red dots represent Russian activity. Picture: CSIS

Mr Jones believes this should be cause for alarm, and that NATO needs to step up its response.

“NATO countries should develop a calibrated offensive campaign against Russia that includes several components: escalating sanctions against Moscow; targeted offensive cyber operations against important Russian military and commercial targets; information and influence operations targeting the populations of Russia and its partners, such as Belarus; and more aggressive actions against assets valuable to Russia,” he said.

“In short, NATO should design a campaign to escalate the costs on Russia should the country continue such operations.”

For the time being, the people of France patiently await the arrival of their booklets.