The first time we heard about the British government's "Operation Temperer" was shortly after the dreadful terrorist explosion in Manchester in June 2017, when Prime Minister Theresa May declared “enough is enough”, and demanded a review of the UK's counter-terrorism strategy.

As Brandon Smith noted at the time, the deployment of over 5000 British troops at strategic locations by Theresa May is all part of a plan established in 2015 called “Operation Temperer”. The plan calls for the deployment of troops within the UK border in response to “major terrorist threats”. As The Mail on Sunday uncovered at the time:

Whitehall officials had kept it under wraps because it contained such sensitive information. Theresa May, who made the decision, makes her the first Prime Minister to use a new plan for a show of force in the face of major terrorist threats. Mrs May said it would be the decision of police chiefs to decide where to deploy the military, though they are most likely to be used to guard top tourist attractions, airports and railway stations and sporting venues. David Cameron had opposed controversial power because he didn't want the UK to appear like it had lost control and was imposing martial law.

Essentially, it is a martial law program that acts incrementally, rather than overtly. Once implemented, Temperer would be difficult to reverse. As UK military chiefs warned when the operation was publicly exposed, troops would likely not be pulled back after commitment unless the terror threat was “reduced”, leaving the definition of the “threat level” open for rather broad interpretation.

Which makes the latest news even more concerning as The Daily Mail reports, plans have been drawn up by the military for Operation Temperer, which, as we noted above is designed to help police on the streets in the threat of terrorism, to be enacted in the event of a no-deal Brexit scenario.

Contingency plans involve how the military could help keep public order amid such events as the delivery and stockpiling of medicines to hospitals across the country, according to The Times.

Chief of Defense Staff General Sir Nick Carter said the army would "stand ready to help" in the event of a 'No Deal', adding that the army has around 1,200 troops on 24-hour standby which can deal with a range of operations and contingencies. And a further 10,000 military personnel are available to assist with an emergency at short notice.

"We make sensible contingency plans for all sort of eventualities whether it’s a terrorist attack, a tanker driver dispute or industrial action. " "At this stage I think people are confident there will be a deal, If there’s not one, we stand ready to help in any way we can."

When asked about the stockpiling of medicines, Sir Nick Carter said:

"We’re involved in thinking hard about what it might involve. We’ve not been asked to do anything specifically at this stage."