Ministry of Defence Expert Nick Pope Talks Alien Invasions & Resistance: Burning Skies

[Read Nick Pope's Alien Invasion 'War Plan' above]

Resistance: Burning Skies pitches a New Jersey firefighter in a battle to save the world from an alien invasion. To mark the launch we asked Nick Pope, former head of the MOD’s own UFO Project, to speculate on how an alien invasion might really unfold: what we’d be facing and how we & the government would fight back. Nick used his extensive MOD-experience to put together some thoughts, and a formal ‘war plan’. With a Summer of high profile events, how prepared are the government for the seemingly unfathomable: alien invasion?

When are the aliens coming?

It has been a widely held belief in Ministry of Defence circles that ‘aliens’ have been able to detect us for decades via TV & radio broadcasts. What once seemed like science fictions is steadily being realised by central governing bodies as distinctly real. If aliens have studied our psychology, they may choose to appear in our skies on a significant date – the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games is one date being widely circulated by conspiracy groups.

What are they going to do?

The atomic bombs detonated in the 1940s, and the rocket technology since developed would unquestionably have alerted nearby alien civilisations to our existence. On their arrival it is difficult to say what they would do: explore, help or destroy. Our resources make us quite a special threat.

What is the government plan?

The government must, and has planned for the worst-case scenario – alien attack and alien invasion. Space shuttles, lasers and directed-energy weapons are all committed via the Alien Invasion War Plan to defence against any alien ships in orbit. If UFOs came into our atmosphere, RAF jets such as the Eurofighter Typhoons, and missiles such as the Rapiers guarding the Olympic Games would be well equipped to enter the fray. And if the aliens landed, in an unprecedented move, I am in no doubt that the entire Army would join the fight. The TA and the Reserves would be called out and conscription potentially introduced.  It is interesting to note that we are all in some ways equipped to deal with alien invasion – games such as Resistance: Burning Skies on PlayStation Vita help acclimatise people to the reality of extraterrestrial life – and in particular that they might be hostile. It is a widely held belief that classified information about weapons and tactics useful in combatting alien occupation are embedded into such gameplay.

What are the holes in the plan?

The primary flaw is our lack of knowledge – we are limited in the extent of what we know about the alien species. Aliens may possess weapons or advanced technology we’ve no idea of. Aliens may have invisibility, a death ray, teleportation, force fields and other things we can't even guess at. Beyond this, unity is key, but as history dictates, this is not so easy. The logical course is to unite the world against the alien threat, combining our military strength and fighting under the United Nations. But some countries might not fight. We saw this type of treachery and cowardice in the Second World War. Though some brave people joined the Resistance, much of France accepted Nazi occupation. The final and perhaps biggest flaw is preparation. With the Summer of mass events we are all on high alert for terrorism. But we must also cast our eyes further afield and be prepared for even the most seemingly unfathomable.

Resistance: Burning Skies is out now on PlayStation Vita.