Deep beneath Charing Cross underground station, a secret Nato command bunker has been running war games this week, simulating a defence of Estonia against a Russian invasion in 2030. The exercise, known as Arrcade Strike, involves British troops operating behind two sets of locked metal doors in the disused Jubilee line terminus, while commuters and tourists bustle above.
Lieutenant General Mike Elviss, commander of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, said the scenario was set in 2030 because that is when the threat from a remilitarised Russia could be most acute. The drill aims to demonstrate Nato's readiness to defend its Baltic members, but also serves to pressure the Treasury into funding the British army's drone shortfall.
The Ministry of Defence is locked in a funding battle, with estimates suggesting the army is between 80 and 90 per cent short of the drones it needs. If a full-scale war broke out tomorrow, the military would run out of drones in less than a week. It is calculated that £50 million a year is needed to boost production of simple one-way attack drones, and £500 million a year for more sophisticated models.
The simulated battle uses artificial intelligence systems such as Project Asgard, aiming to reduce decision-making time from 72 hours to two hours. Journalists were invited to use virtual reality headsets from Anduril, a US technology company, to view the battle plan. The scenario involves thousands of drones leading a counterattack against Russian forces, revealing and striking enemy positions all the way to St Petersburg.
Three junior defence ministers visited the bunker on Wednesday, though the Secretary of State, John Healey, was visiting Estonia as part of a related exercise. The command centre can house up to 500 people and transmit 10 terabytes of data daily. The drills are deliberately publicised because, as Lt Gen Elviss noted, 'the adversary is watching'.
