The Essence of a Civilian Home Front Under Constant Threats in an Ever-Changing Society: The Need for "Functional Continuity" in Any Situation
Dr. Avi Bitzur1
Abstract
The global coronavirus pandemic has been taking place alongside local wars and constant threats to people worldwide. These threats, which range from cyberattacks to extreme climate events like earthquakes and massive fires, further illustrate the understanding that the civilian home front, in every corner of the world, is exposed to widespread threats, and unfortunately, it is grossly ill-prepared to deal with them.
This essay will present and define the essence of the civilian home front and its various aspects while reviewing the threats civilians currently face – regardless of the country where they live – and the various measures taken in advance to counter and weather these threats, for example, given the current crisis between Russia and Ukraine, or the possibility of a nuclear Iran. .
The very existence of the civilian home front is conditional on the existence of defense systems both for warfare (passive or active defenses), in the field of healthcare (e.g. COVID-19 vaccines), and in the field of earthquakes (e.g. building reinforcement).
The civilian home front and the various systems sustaining its operational continuity can be likened to a heart that cannot beat if its arteries are clogged, and which cannot function properly without the body creating bypasses that enable blood flow.
The article will open by outlining the characteristics of the civilian home front, continue with presenting the arsenal of threats the civilian home front faces, and end with an examination of the concept of "functional continuity" in light of the consequences that current threats – be they pandemics like the coronavirus or missile attacks – all while shedding light on an alternative observation of our chaotic world, in which reality is constantly changing.
.
.
Keywords: civilian home front, functional contin