Britain stages underground NATO war drill for 2030

Britain’s army has carried out a simulation of a large-scale ground war between NATO and Russia, set in 2030 and triggered by Russian escalation in eastern Europe, inside an underground command facility built beneath a London Underground station in central London.

The exercise, reported by Politico, turned a disused platform at Charing Cross station into a command centre modelled on a military headquarters in Estonia. It was designed to host an offensive formation led by the British army within NATO forces and able to move quickly to command tens of thousands of troops on the alliance’s eastern front.

The scenario assumed that over two years Russia would carry out covert operations, military buildups and large-scale drills in preparation for confrontation with NATO. It also included cyberattacks on transport, internet and healthcare sectors in Estonia, alongside disinformation campaigns against NATO and Europe.

The drill also included the activation of Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty on collective defence after Russian forces entered Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It was also intended to show NATO’s ability to carry out strikes reaching St Petersburg to target Russian armoured units and air defence systems attacking alliance forces.

Lieutenant General Mike Elviss, commander of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, said 2030 was chosen because it represents the period when the Russian threat is expected to peak, and the point at which the technology and readiness needed to confront it could be available. He added that the British army needs to make the "right investment now" and continue investing in digital infrastructure and partnerships that support units such as the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, warning against ignoring current threats.

Hundreds of personnel from Britain, France, Italy and the United States took part in ARRCADE STRIKE to test the ability to plan a future operation that could involve up to 100,000 personnel, as well as the use of AI-based targeting and planning tools in electronic warfare and drone warfare.

The exercise used artificial intelligence tools including ASGARD, which was developed with private-sector companies including the US firm Palantir Technologies, to speed up decision-making on the battlefield. The tools allow weapons to be assigned to targets automatically to avoid wasting high-cost munitions against drones, in addition to countering Russia’s growing use of artificial intelligence in military operations.

General Alexus Grinkewich described the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps as a key element in NATO’s plans, saying the drills are based on the "lessons learned from Ukraine and Operation Epic Fury". He said failure to learn, adapt and apply lessons from the modern battlefield faster than adversaries threatens the alliance’s deterrence capabilities and defence plans.

The preparations come as NATO and the European Union seek to raise defence spending and strengthen military readiness by 2030 amid growing concerns over the Russian threat. General Chris Donahue said: "Mission readiness by 2030 is not a slogan, it is what we must do."