What is civilian-based defense?

Asked by: Mrs. Taryn Konopelski V  |  Last update: April 8, 2026
Score: 4.4/5 (10 votes)

Civilian-based defense (CBD) is a nonviolent strategy for national security, using organized mass resistance by ordinary citizens to deter and defend against foreign invasion or internal coups, relying on social, economic, and political tactics instead of military force to make a society ungovernable for attackers. It aims to prevent attackers from achieving their goals through widespread noncooperation, civil disobedience, strikes, and subverting the loyalty of the opponent's forces, making control impossible and costly.

What are examples of civil defense?

Civil defence

• Warning;
• Evacuation;
• Management of shelters;
• Management of blackout measures;
• Rescue;
• Medical services – including first aid – and religious assistance;
• Fire-fighting;
• Detection and marking of danger areas;

What was the civilian defense?

Civil defense in the United States refers to the use of civil defense in the history of the United States, which is the organized non-military effort to prepare Americans for military attack and similarly disastrous events.

How does civil defense work?

Under IHL, civil defence is defined according to the humanitarian tasks it performs for the purpose of protecting the civilian population against the danger arising from hostilities or other disasters, helping it to recover from their immediate effects, and providing conditions necessary for its survival.

Does US civil defense still exist?

In the post–Cold War era, the emphasis on large- scale military threats diminished, and civil defense agencies evolved into today's emergency management organizations. In subsequent years, the term civil defense fell out of use by federal agencies, states, and local governments.

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