Cold War lessons for 21st-century resilience
HILEX Advisory helps organisations understand historic national security planning — and apply it to today’s threats, tomorrow’s crises, and your people.
What we do
We analyse how the UK prepared for mobilisation, military operations and nuclear destruction in the Cold War — then translate that thinking into practical options for you today.
We research and explain how governments, armed forces and critical national infrastructure planned to survive attack, recover, and keep functioning. We surface forgotten assumptions, stress-points and fixes. Then we work with you to turn those lessons into action.
Our work supports boards, senior leaders and operational teams who are wrestling with modern resilience, deterrence, and continuity problems.
Historical insight → modern decisions
We brief leadership teams on how Cold War UK defence and civil resilience planning actually worked — not the myth, the reality — and what that implies for you now.
Scenario thinking & stress testing
Tabletop sessions, decision rehearsals, and consequence-mapping built on real historical planning assumptions, not PowerPoint fantasy.
Culture & engagement
Helping you build a security culture that is calm, credible and adult — not panic theatre. We specialise in insider risk, continuity of operations, and protective security.
Recent work
Royal Navy strategic briefing
- Delivered briefings sessions to Royal Navy thinkers on Cold War operational plans for global conflict. We drew out how those assumptions could shape future operational thinking.
Home Defence analysis
- Produced published analysis on British Home Defence policy in the late Cold War — how government expected to maintain order, move forces and keep essential services alive under national stress — and what still matters for UK civil resilience today.
Advisory support to decision-makers
- We provides historical context and options analysis to inform live decisions on defence posture, strategic communications, and protective security to decision makers.
Let’s talk resilience like adults
If you’re responsible for keeping people safe, keeping an organisation functioning, or briefing senior leaders on risk, and want to learn from the lessons of the Cold War, we can help.