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The UK has to "actively prepare" for the potential of a "wartime scenario" on the "UK homeland" a government review has warned.
Published today, the National Security Strategy said it was "the first time in many years" that such an event has had to be considered.
It comes as Sky News recently explored what a Russian attack on Britain looked like in its The Wargame podcast.
The review highlighted Russia and Iran as potential threats, including saying that the latter's "hostile activity" on British soil is increasing in an effort to "silence critics" as well as "directly threatening the UK".
It added: "Meanwhile, some adversaries are laying the foundations for future conflict, positioning themselves to move quickly to cause major disruption to our energy and or supply chains, to deter us from standing up to their aggression."
Speaking this morning at a NATO summit, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was "pretty obvious we're living in volatile times, probably more volatile than most of us have lived through recently".
He added that "the first duty of PM is to keep the country safe, and that sits above all other duties, and I take it really seriously".
The government will run annual exercises to test the preparedness of the whole of society as part of efforts to rebuild resilience, the new strategy says.
There will also be moves to improve security around critical national infrastructure such as power stations and water supplies as part of what is being called "Home Defence".
An armed attack on the UK is exactly the scenario that a new podcast series by Sky News and Tortoise explore.
The Wargame simulates Russian missiles strikes against targets across the country to test UK defences.
The podcast also draws on the UK's Cold War past.
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During the time of the Soviet Union, Britain, like much of the rest of NATO, maintained a much larger professional army, navy and air force, with greater stockpiles of munitions, a bigger reserve force and a far more comprehensive air defence system. This was all kept at a state of readiness that meant the UK could immediately respond to war breaking out.
At the same time, wider society was better prepared for conflict - including nuclear war.
They also understood the need to allocate more taxpayer cash into funding defence as the ultimate insurance policy.
When the Cold War ended though, successive governments took what was seen as a peace dividend, switching investment away from defence and into other priorities such as health, welfare and economic growth.
With Britain now facing renewed threats to the home front but without the resilience it relied on in the past, The Wargame plays out what might happen in a crisis.
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