History Main / ThisIsNotADrill

* ''Literature/AllHands'' starts with a RedAlert message which includes a ThisIsNotADrill.

* ''Literature/AllHands'' starts with a red alert message, and includes a ThisIsNotADrill.

* ''Film/ANewHope'': Subverted; stormtroopers ignore Obi-Wan's sabotaging the Death Star's tractor beam. One even says in response to the sudden security measures, "[[ItsProbablyNothing It's probably another drill.]]" This is because Vader wanted the heroes to escape and lead the Imperials to the Rebel base.

** In ''CrimsonTide'', a fire breaks out in the kitchen. While the first mate is helping to put the fire out, the Captain orders a launch drill, although the actual wording of the announcement given by both the Captain and the XO is "This is an exercise."

* In ''InHarmsWay'', the cruiser sailors are sent to battle stations on Dec. 7, 1941 through an announcement, "This is not a drill, this is not a drill, all hands man your battle stations."

* Then there is the joke: This is not a drill. Repeat, this is NOT a drill. This is a chainsaw.

* ''AceCombat 5: Unsung War'' -- During an enemy attack
-->'''Sailor:''' Two-- no, three ships are burning now!
-->'''Traffic control:''' [[CaptainObvious This is not a drill.]]
-->'''Sailor:''' Oh, thanks for the heads-up, you idiot!
** Featured in any Ace combat featuring a mission where your base starts being bombed by enemy forces.
** A possible DarkReprise in one mission in ''5''; [[spoiler:the reinforcements were told by the 8492nd that it ''was'' just a drill]], and the AWACS had to (almost frantically) state that ''no'', it wasn't a drill, there really ''was'' an air battle over the stadium and they needed the reinforcements. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that the reinforcements, arriving from a distance away, couldn't see the combat area and couldn't tell for themselves whether or not it was a drill.
* Used in the beginning of the ''{{Sonic Adventure 2}}'' Dark Side Story when Dr. Robotnik attacks the military base where Shadow is kept.

* The opening cutscene for ''VideoGame/{{X-COM}}: Apocalypse'':

* ''Film/ANewHope'': Subverted; stormtroopers ignore Obi-Wan's sabotaging the Death Star's tractor beam. One even says in response to the sudden security measures, "It's probably another drill." This is because Vader wanted the ''Millennium Falcon'' and its crew to escape and lead the Imperials to the Rebel base.

** In ''Film/TheHuntForRedOctober'' [[LargeHam Captain Ramius]] mentions conducting missile drills in his speech to the crew.

The [[BritswithBattleships Royal Navy ]] simply add a prefix - drills are preceded by 'For Exercise' three times. There's also the Safeguard Rule - when this is in force, no mention is made of drills/exercises, and everything is announced as if it was real. Any genuine incidents are preceded by the word 'Safeguard'. It's a distinctive word, and everyone knows what it means, so there is no need to remind people that 'This is not a drill'. Nothing makes people freeze like hearing 'Safeguard, safeguard, safeguard!' over the main broadcast.

* In ''Literature/RedStormRising'', the crew of ''USS Pharris'' are told that as they are now in a shooting war, there will be no more drills.

** Near the climax of the first book, the titular heroine sends a "Case Zulu" message back to Command. The narrative takes a moment to inform the reader that Case Zulu means "[[spoiler: Enemy Invasion Imminent]]" and it is ''never'' used in practices or war games to avoid CryingWolf.

-->'''Sailor:''' Two- no, three ships are burning now!

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' parodied it way back when they were a short on ''The Tracy Ullman Show''. One short has Homer waking the family and herding them into a bomb shelter yelling that "World War Three has begun" and "This is not a drill". When they get to the bomb shelter, he reveals to the viewers that it ''was'' a drill, and chastises his family for taking so long - but they aren't listening due to being rightfully shivering in terror.

** The classic historical example of its use is in the alarm siren on December 7, 1941: "AIR RAID PEARL HARBOR THIS IS NO DRILL".

* In the modern US Navy, the actual phrases used differ from ship to ship and branch to branch (i.e. surface vs. submarines), and even different procedures may be used by different training teams on the same ship (engineering vs. combat systems, for example). Sometimes emergencies are simply called away as if they were real, with drill monitors wearing different colors stationed in advance to prevent the crewmen from doing anything that might actually be ''dangerous'', and only inform the crew that it was a drill at the end. Even when the drill is not initially announced as such and was not pre-scheduled, however, the whole crew generally knows they're coming--when the guys with red hats start hanging around the engine room for no reason, it becomes pretty obvious. Drills are also generally not held any time there's a higher potential for a real emergency (like entering a combat or patrol zone).

* During Able Archer '83 (Nato's rehearsal for a nuclear war, and perhaps [[NightmareFuel the closest the world has come--completely by accident -- to the real thing]]), every single message in the exercise was prefaced with "EXERCISE-EXERCISE-EXERCISE" both for the benefit of NATO troops to make sure that they did not misunderstand an exercise communication for a real communication, and for any Warsaw Pact intelligence personnel who might be listening in, so that they did not misinterpret a routine wargame for the real thing and launch a preemptive strike.

* In ''[[Literature/IntoTheLooking Glass Vorpal Blade]]'', there are several "intruder alert" announcements for the Marines aboard the titular spacecraft, but when the Demons attack the trope phrase is added, though for some the "not a drill" announcement doesn't sink in immediately.

* ''Literature/HonorHarrington'': Near the climax of the first book, she sends a "Case Zulu" message back to Command. The narrative takes a moment to inform the reader that Case Zulu means "[[spoiler: Enemy Invasion Imminent]]" and it is ''never'' used in practices or war games to avoid CryingWolf.

---> '''The announcer:''' "This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill. Last time was a drill, but now it is not! So what if last time I said it was not a drill? I needed to simulate a combat situation! [[CryingWolf But this time it is '''honestly''' not a drill]]. It's real! Move your asses!!!

---> '''The announcer:''' "This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill. Last time was a drill, but now it is not! So what if last time I said it was not a drill? I needed to simulate a combat situation! But this time it is '''honestly''' not a drill. It's real! Move your asses!!!

Has nothing at all to do with ThisIsADrill or [[TheTreacheryOfImages This Is Not A Pipe]]. Compare AndYouThoughtItWasAGame, in which a situation originally mistaken for entertainment turns out to be the real thing.

* Paul Carter's second book was named ''This Is Not A Drill'' partly for irony, because he's an oil driller, but mainly because he hears it for real in his first anecdote, where the crew are evacuating an oil rig in imminent danger of capsizing.

* In ''RedStormRising'', the crew of ''USS Pharris'' are told that as they are now in a shooting war, there will be no more drills.

* ''[[LegallyBlonde Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde]]'' has this phrase shouted out.

* Spoofed in a ''HarryPotter'' parody:

* Subverted... kinda. In the first volume war memoir 'Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall' comedian SpikeMilligan was conscripted into the Royal Artillery as a Radio Operator. He quotes extensively from the Regimental War Diary a message about a large invasion force spotted in the English Channel heading for Britain that was sent by his unit. Shortly after, a panicked War Office got in touch asking what steps had been taken and had the Navy been informed... [[HilarityEnsues Hilarity Ensures]] and in the end the CO is ordered to London to clear things up. In his book Milligan confesses that the message had been sent by him as part of a drill but that he had neglected to preface the message with the phrase 'PRACTICE' before he sent it.

* School's always announce when they're going to be doing fire drills, so as to avoid causing a panic.

* ''Literature/HonorHarrington'': Near the climax of the first book, she sends a "Code Zulu" message back to Command. The narrative takes a moment to inform the reader that Code Zulu means "[[spoiler: Enemy Invasion Imminent]]" and it is ''never'' used in practices or war games to avoid CryingWolf.

Has nothing at all to do with ThisIsADrill or [[TheTreacheryOfImages This Is Not A Pipe]].

->''"Is this real-world or exercise?"''
-->-- '''Tech Sgt. Jeremy Powell''', September 11, 2001