# Civil Service under Extreme Stress This note brings together everything related to how the civil service works during major crises — when the state is seriously tested. That can mean war, military occupation, cyberattacks, institutional collapse, pandemics, natural disasters, or any event that disrupts normal government operations. The focus is on how public servants, agencies, and governments react, adapt, break down, or reorganize. It’s a space to collect examples, ideas, strategies, and questions about how public administration functions when things get out of control. --- ## Entries **[[2025-06-02]]**: I read about the concept of _[chaos testing](https://public.digital/pd-insights/blog/2025/05/chaos-testing-how-crisis-forces-organisations-to-change)_ in an article by [[Public Digital]]. Originally used in software engineering to test systems by deliberately introducing failure, the idea is applied in the piece to organisational design, including public administration. The article describes how simulating disruption can help institutions identify vulnerabilities, strengthen resilience, and avoid reactive, short-term fixes after crises. **[[2025-04-30]]**: I came across something through [[Bastien Scordia]] (from _[[Acteurs Publics]]_) that really caught my attention: France is updating its plans to prepare its civil service and ensure that public services can continue even in [extreme crisis](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bastien-scordia-579b1686_plan-de-r%C3%A9silience-des-services-publics-face-activity-7323607879289102336-GqSy/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAABJfvIUBLMnEUSA-EbpMEBKTnb3K9do__SQhttps://www.linkedin.com/posts/bastien-scordia-579b1686_plan-de-r%C3%A9silience-des-services-publics-face-activity-7323607879289102336-GqSy?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAABJfvIUBLMnEUSA-EbpMEBKTnb3K9do__SQ) contexts like war. They're introducing measures such as resilience and crisis management training for all managers by 2028, embedding these issues in initial civil service training, raising awareness of cybersecurity, and making it easier for civil servants to join and be valued in the national reserves. It feels crucial, especially after the pandemic highlighted how unprepared many governments are for major disruptions. It makes you wonder: what's the "day after tomorrow" plan for public services if, say, Russia invades the Baltics? Or if a nuclear conflict breaks out? I doubt that the civil service in Brazil has concrete answers. But I do know that this is a research focus here in Germany at the [Mannheimer Institut für Personal und Management der Bundeswehr (MIP)] (https://www.maipm.de/team).