Governments around the world are advising people to keep essential supplies on hand and make contingency plans in case of a major crisis or war.
Officials in the UK, Sweden, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and France have encouraged households to store several days of food, medication and other necessities.
In the United States, the Pentagon has also been planning for the possibility that critical civilian services could fail.
Chris Swecker, a former FBI agent with 24 years of bureau experience, says Americans should take those warnings seriously. He described potential dangers that could affect homes, finances and the basic systems people rely on every day.
Speaking to Our News Outlet, Swecker said the combination of nuclear threats, terrorism and civil unrest amounted to what he called an “existential threat” and required families to have emergency plans. He warned that a major cyberattack could disrupt the financial system, while sabotage might leave millions without electricity.
“We’ve got five, maybe six, countries out there that are fully capable of launching nuclear attacks,” he said. “They’re developing more missile technology and more missiles, and building more missiles every day. So there’s an existential threat there.”
His comments followed a warning from former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, who urged Americans to prepare for a disaster that could dramatically alter daily life and leave people with little immediate help during an extreme emergency.
“I think he’s spot on. I don’t always agree with Bongino, but I think he’s spot on here that it would behoove the American people to have a plan, an emergency plan and be prepared,” Swecker said.
Former FBI officials have encouraged Americans to prepare for a possible crisis by storing at least three days of emergency supplies
Chris Swecker (left) backed former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino’s (right) call for Americans to begin stockpiling essential supplies
Swecker, who previously led the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division as assistant director, pointed to unrest spreading through Europe. Protests and riots have recently erupted in cities including Paris, Rome, Milan, Barcelona and Tirana, the capital of Albania.
“There’s a copycat factor, operating right now,” he said. “I think there are attempts, and there have been attempts, to create real civil unrest.”
Referring to incidents in France, Swecker said some urban areas had been overwhelmed, with businesses, homes and infrastructure damaged or destroyed and buildings taken over.
“That’s not on the scale of a nuclear crisis, or even a power grid or a financial system collapse-type crisis, but it is a crisis that can go viral across the country and has to some degree, but I think it can get worse,” he added.
He also argued that the US would struggle to contain widespread violence, rioting and looting, which he said could be used by hostile forces seeking to destabilize the country from within.
“I don’t think that their eye is on that ball. There are different federal agencies, different law enforcement agencies across the country, state and local,” he said.
“Given the political situation right now, it’s been made almost impossible to operate in a sort of coordinated fashion to go after that type of threat.”
Swecker said the internal dangers could include efforts to encourage civil unrest, foreign terrorism, domestic terrorism and intelligence operations that threaten US national security.
Chris Swecker, a 24-year FBI veteran, said nuclear threats, terrorism and civil unrest represented an “existential threat” that made emergency planning essential
“We have what I would describe as the ‘fifth column’ operating, which is sympathizers of terrorist organizations and sympathizers of a different form of government than we’ve ever endorsed here in the United States,” he said.
The warnings from Swecker and Bongino came after details of a 90-day Pentagon emergency plan were released in late October.
The FORTRESS plan calls for portable nuclear reactors, large battery systems and separate local power networks to ensure US military bases can operate during extended blackouts.
It also envisions civilian manufacturing facilities being converted to defense production, supported by reserves of ammunition, fuel, vital minerals, electronic equipment, replacement parts and medical goods.
Swecker said he was surprised such a strategy had not been disclosed earlier, adding that the possibility of a nuclear attack now appeared more realistic and frightening than many people understood.
“Their goal is to basically subjugate Western civilization, eliminate Western civilization,” he said.
He cited North Korea, Russia and China among the major state-based concerns, while also pointing to terrorism, cyber vulnerabilities in the power grid and a financial system he said had repeatedly been targeted by criminals and hostile foreign intelligence services.
“I think it just would behoove Americans to be well prepared for that. I applaud the military in recognizing the threat, and they’re going to be the people that are going to come to the rescue, so they need to take care of themselves and make sure they’re self-sufficient,” Swecker said.
Former FBI agent Chris Swecker said unrest aimed at weakening governments could spread from Europe to the US. Above, protesters take part in civil unrest in Spain this week
The FORTRESS strategy and continuing unrest across Europe have intensified concerns among preparedness experts that the US could face a serious threat.
Sean Gold, a US Air Force veteran, said recent cuts affecting the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, meant Americans should be ready to endure a natural disaster or attack with limited government assistance.
“Even at previous levels, we saw inept management and poor response times from FEMA,” Gold told Our News Outlet.
“If the very entities you expect to lean on in a crisis [governments] are actively telling you to gather preparedness supplies, prepping is about as rational as you can get,” he added.
Gold, who founded the doomsday-prepping website TruePrepper, said some emergencies could force families to choose quickly between sheltering at home and leaving with only a small amount of equipment.
Gold and FEMA guidance suggest that people may have as little as 10 minutes to evacuate in certain emergencies. That could leave only moments to collect the “bug-out bags” or “go bags” recommended by disaster-preparedness experts.
“Every member of the family needs an evacuation bag. They all include important documents, critical medication, limited PPE [Personal Protective Equipment], a few tools and the survival essentials (water, food, shelter/clothing),” Gold said.
Sean Gold, pictured wearing a gas mask, said he launched TruePrepper in 2016 after the birth of his first child
Gold stressed that the decision to evacuate depends on the nature of the emergency and the danger posed by remaining in place.
“Last week, I was just in Paris, and the protests in the daylight were very tame in contrast to the looting at night,” he said.
“Every situation is different, and you need to be informed enough about the threat to understand what you should do with your existing resources.”
In some emergencies, Gold said, staying indoors could be safer—particularly in a basement or purpose-built fallout shelter during a chemical spill or nuclear attack.
But when a home becomes unsafe, he warned people not to delay their departure. In heavily populated areas, traffic congestion could make it increasingly difficult to escape.
“The safest places to go are relatives’ or friends’ houses outside of urban areas. Leaving more quickly is key, since evacuations of cities typically cause gridlock and most evacuations are done by vehicle,” he advised.
Gold described the FORTRESS plan as “more of an acknowledgement of some shortcomings that have existed for a long time related to those threats.”
He said weaknesses in the electrical grid, supply chains and cybersecurity had become increasingly visible in recent years, helping explain the international push for households to maintain emergency reserves.
“It is encouraging that FORTRESS is attempting to address these and that people are being told to prepare for the future,” Gold said.
