BIKINI state

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BIKINI Alert States (most serious at top):

RED

Information has been received about an attack on a specific target. It can also mean "red alert", meaning the United Kingdom is at war, especially if there's a likelihood of a nuclear strike .

AMBER

There has been specific information received and there is a substantial threat to government targets. It can also mean "High alert", which could be a transition to war.

BLACK SPECIAL

There is an increased likelihood of an attack, but no defined target. It can also mean "potential terrorist threat".

BLACK

There has been an assessment made that there is the possibility of an attack, but no defined target. It can also mean "possible civil unrest", meaning safety can't be guaranteed.

WHITE

No information available about a specific threat. It can also mean "situation stable"

The BIKINI state is an alert state indicator currently used by the UK Ministry of Defence to warn of non-specific forms of terrorist activity, and has been in constant use since its establishment on 19 May 1970. For a more general and public terrorism alert status, there exist UK Threat Levels, an alert state system in use by the British government since 1 August 2006. According to the Ministry of Defence, the word bikini was randomly selected by a computer.^[1]

Furthermore, there also exists the TESSERAL system utilising the BIKINI scale, used to warn of a specific threat of terrorist use of arms jeopardising the safety of (normally military) airborne transportation. Since TESSERAL applies to specific threats, the WHITE state is not used. The scale is also used by HM Prison Service in England and Wales.

Current alert states are posted at the entrance to government buildings and military installations with respect to security and terrorism conditions. Whilst similar to the DEFCON alert states used in the United States, the BIKINI levels are 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, are only intended to be maintained for limited times. The WHITE state has never been used in the history of the system.