With tensions high over Syria and increasing attacks from terrorists, the threat of war is never far away.
Recently, Turkish military bosses said the threat from Russia, the growing military strength of China and climate change could be factors which lead America into World War Three
And they say any future conflict would be “extremely lethal and fast” with a war between two powerful countries “almost guaranteed”.
If indeed war did break out, the possibility of a nuclear attack on the UK, a close ally with the US, becomes a chilling possibility.
But if you are in a city that is about to be hit by a nuclear missile is there anything you can do that will increase your chances of survival?
It depends where you are when the blast happens.
If you are unlucky enough to be at ground zero - where the bomb is a fireball - then your chances of survival are nil.
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According to a 2010 United States Government paper entitled "Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation", immediate lethality would be 100 per cent.
The paper says: "Close to the fireball, the thermal energy is so intense that infrastructure and humans are incinerated."
Underground bunkers and car parks would do little as they too would be almost completely destroyed and there would be barely a physical trace that you ever existed.
Any chance of survival?
The only way to even have the remotest of chances to survive the blast at ground zero, you would need to be in a very deep bunker that somehow has incredible blast protection.
However, if you are a few miles away from the explosion your chances of survival are better - if you follow some simple rules.
Assuming the attack was not known to be coming, the first thing you would see is an intense bright flash in the distance.
With a 10 kiloton bomb the blast will be visible from a distance of around 10 miles.
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The speed of light, perceived as the flash, will travel faster than the blast overpressure allowing you maybe 10-15 seconds to take limited protective measures.
What you need to do in that time is somehow find shelter. Many of the deaths and injuries that occur in this distance from the blast come from collapsing buildings and winds coming in at almost 600mph from the explosion, will level anything in their way.
Duck and cover
Some experts also say that "duck and cover" is still a worthwhile exercise - it has nothing to do with preventing radiation or fire injures, but will help prevent falling masonry or other things from killing or harming you.
Another thing you should try and do is keep your mouth open. This will prevent your eardrums bursting from the pressure.
If you are wearing or near any flammable materials, then get away from them. They will ignite from the thermal blast.
If you survive the original explosion, you now have around 10 to 20 minutes to get out of the way before a lethal amount of radiation comes down from the mushroom cloud.
During a talk on surviving a nuclear attack, professor Iwrin Redlener, US specialist on disaster preparedness, said: "In that 10 to 15 minutes, all you have to do is go about a mile away from the blast.
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"Within 20 minutes, it comes straight down. Within 24 hours, lethal radiation is going out with prevailing winds."
Prof Redlener said you should feel for the wind and begin running perpendicular to it - not upwind or downwind
He said: "You've got to get out of there. If you don't get out of there, you're going to be exposed to lethal radiation in very short order.
"If you can't get out of there, we want you to go into a shelter and stay there. Now, in a shelter in an urban area means you have to be either in a basement as deep as possible, or you have to be on a floor - on a high floor - if it's a ground burst explosion, which it would be, higher than the ninth floor.
"So you have to be tenth floor or higher, or in the basement. But basically, you've got to get out of town as quickly as possible. And if you do that, you actually can survive a nuclear blast."
The most hazardous fallout particles are readily visible as fine sand-sized grains so you must keep away from them and not go outside if you see them.
If you are still in the fallout zone but are in a shelter, you are advised to stay there for a minimum of up to 9 days.
During this time food should be rationed and lots of clothing worn to prevent the skin being subjected to radiation.
Aside from all this, the best way to survive a nuclear attack is to prepare for one.
We have all seen it in Hollywood movies and American TV shows, but experts suggest keeping a stash of food and clean water stored in a safe shelter.
Along with this you should have working phone lines, a radio, TV, mobile phone and internet connection.
You will also need a medical kit, prescription medicine supplies and a first aid manual.
Once the bomb has dropped and you venture back outside processed foods are okay to eat, so long as the container has no punctures and is relatively intact.
As previously stated, a good bomb shelter is the most important aspect - but where do you find one?
In England there were few made during the Cold War, and even in America where the fear was greater it is estimated that just 1.4 per cent of the population did anything -either making a space in their basement or actually building a bomb shelter.