War is coming – maybe – if you believe all the doom merchants. And as we do often like to listen to said doom merchants here at Daily Star towers, we decided to see where we should avoid if World War 3 did happen.
From Vladimir Putin and his various mouthpieces threatening the world with nuclear war, to the tubby tyrant in North Korea going about his daily war-mongering business, to Donald Trump being . . . well, Donald Trump, there are many reasons to thing war is coming.
So we turned to the experts (kind of) by asking Google’s artificial intelligence-powered large language model called Gemini to find out the five least safest towns and the five least safest cities should war break out.
(Image: PA)
And it even gave very specific reasons for each place based on, what it calls, “strategic factors” such as high concentrations of military infrastructure, critical intelligence hubs, government centres, and major logistics or industrial bases.
Here’s the five least safe cities:
London: As the capital, London is the absolute centre of the UK government, military command (Ministry of Defence), and global finance. Decapitating a nation’s leadership and administrative capabilities is almost always a primary objective in a large-scale war.
Portsmouth: Why: Home to Her Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Portsmouth. It is the headquarters of the Royal Navy and the home port for the UK’s aircraft carriers and much of the surface fleet. Disabling a nation’s naval projection is a top strategic priority.
Plymouth: Why: Plymouth hosts HMNB Devonport, the largest naval base in Western Europe. Crucially, it is the sole nuclear repair and refitting facility for the Royal Navy, including its fleet of nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarines.
(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Glasgow: Why: Beyond being Scotland’s largest economic hub, Glasgow is heavily involved in defence manufacturing and shipbuilding (such as the BAE Systems shipyards on the Clyde). Furthermore, its close proximity to the UK’s nuclear submarine base makes the wider metropolitan area highly vulnerable.
Birmingham: Why: Located in the heart of England, Birmingham is a massive industrial, manufacturing, and logistical hub. Striking central transport networks and industrial centers severely cripples a country’s ability to move troops, supplies, and maintain wartime production.
Here’s the five least safe towns:
Helensburgh (Scotland): This town sits adjacent to HMNB Clyde (Faslane) and the Royal Naval Armaments Depot at Coulport. This is the home of the UK’s nuclear deterrent (the Vanguard-class submarines armed with Trident missiles). In a nuclear conflict, this would arguably be the single most prioritised target in the UK.
Cheltenham (Gloucestershire): Cheltenham is home to the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). GCHQ handles signals intelligence, cyber security, and cyber warfare for the UK. In modern warfare, blinding an enemy’s intelligence and communication networks is a first-strike priority.
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Barrow-in-Furness (Cumbria): This town is the site of the massive BAE Systems submarine shipyard. It is the only facility in the UK that builds nuclear submarines (both the Astute-class and the upcoming Dreadnought-class). Stopping the production of strategic weapons makes it a critical target.
High Wycombe (Buckinghamshire): High Wycombe is the location of RAF High Wycombe, which serves as the Headquarters of Air Command. It is the central nervous system for the Royal Air Force, directing all UK air operations, making it a vital military command-and-control node.
Aldershot (Hampshire): Long known as the “Home of the British Army,” Aldershot and the surrounding areas (including Farnborough) host a massive concentration of army barracks, headquarters, and military logistics. Targeting this area would severely disrupt the mobilisation of ground forces.
Do you live in any of these areas and are now very worried . . .? Let us know by emailing adam.cailler@reachplc.com.
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