The Bikini state was an
alert state
An alert state or state of alert is an indication of the state of readiness of the armed forces for military action or a state against natural disasters, terrorism or military attack. The term frequently used is "on high alert". Examples scales ...
indicator previously used by the
UK Ministry of Defence
The Ministry of Defence (MOD or MoD) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for implementing the defence policy set by the government and serves as the headquarters of the British Armed Forces.
...
to warn of non-specific forms of threat, including
civil disorder
Civil disorder, also known as civil disturbance, civil unrest, civil strife, or turmoil, are situations when law enforcement and security forces struggle to Public order policing, maintain public order or tranquility.
Causes
Any number of thin ...
,
terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
or
war
War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
. Signs giving the current alert state were displayed at the entrance to government buildings and military installations. It was established on 19 May 1970. According to the Ministry of Defence, the word "
bikini
A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features one piece on top that covers the breasts, and a second piece on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but usually exposing the navel, and the back generally covering ...
" was randomly selected by a computer.
Whilst similar to the
DEFCON
The defense readiness condition (DEFCON) is an alert state used by the United States Armed Forces. For security reasons, the U.S. military does not announce a DEFCON level to the public.
The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Sta ...
(defence readiness condition) alert states used in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, the Bikini levels were defined by the section of the military or organisation rather than UK-wide, and as a result, countermeasures and reactions to differing states may differ as acutely as from building to building. The highest levels of alert, Red and Amber, were only intended to be maintained for limited times. The White state has rarely been used, and is only known to have been used for periods between the
Good Friday Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement (GFA) or Belfast Agreement ( or ; or ) is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April (Good Friday) 1998 that ended most of the violence of the Troubles, an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland since the la ...
of 1998 and
11 September 2001
The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
.
The system was illustrated in the British television drama ''
Threads'', produced by the BBC in 1984.
It was replaced by a more general and public terrorism alert status, the
UK Threat Levels, an alert state system in use by the
British government
His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. since 1 August 2006.
Bikini alert states
NATO military alert state
In addition to Bikini alerts that applied to individual installation
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
had a "Counter-Surprise" Military Alert System to mobilise its military forces.
See also
*
Handel (warning system) UK Cold War warning system
*
UK Threat Levels
*
Homeland Security Advisory System
In the United States, the Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) was a color-coded terrorism threat advisory scale created in March 2002 under the Bush administration in response to the September 11 attacks. The different levels triggered sp ...
(United States)
*
Vigipirate
Vigipirate () is France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in t ...
(France)
References
{{reflist
External links
UK Counter-terrorism site, showing current threat level
** ''Note: Annex D referred to in the above is redacted in its entirety''
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070611002249/http://security.homeoffice.gov.uk/news-publications/publication-search/general/Threat-Levels Threat Levels: The System to Assess the Threat from International Terrorism]
Alert measurement systems
Emergency management in the United Kingdom
Counterterrorism in the United Kingdom
1970 establishments in the United Kingdom
1970 in military history