Army preparing for Russia war in disused London Underground station

A disused platform at Charing Cross Underground station has been converted into a fully operational British Army command post for a NATO-led exercise. Hundreds of troops take part in Exercise Arcade Strike, run by the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, simulating a future conflict with Russia in 2030. The exercise tests NATO’s ability to conduct electronic warfare, including jamming Russian communications and countering drones. Defence sources indicate the UK has enough drones for about a week, using roughly a hundred per day, which is far below sustained needs. Ukraine’s ongoing conflict uses thousands of drones daily, prompting calls for Europe’s defence industry to expand capacity. The exercise also practices NATO’s recce-strike approach for finding and destroying enemy forces.

"The British Army has transformed a disused platform at Charing Cross Underground station into a fully operational military command post as part of a major NATO-led exercise simulating a future conflict with Russia. Hundreds of troops have been taking part in what the Army describes as one of the most ambitious military exercises in a generation, under Exercise Arrcade Strike, run by the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC). The scenario is set in a fictional 2030 the year that military planners believe the threat from Russia could be at its most serious."

"The exercise tests NATO's ability to conduct electronic warfare, including jamming Russian communications and countering drones, in the event of a Russian invasion of a Baltic country. Defence sources say the UK currently has enough drones to fight for a week, using a hundred each day, which is well below the quantity needed to sustain operations. In comparison, Ukraine has been using thousands of drones daily in the ongoing conflict, amid repeated calls from military leaders for Europe's defence industry to meet a growing strategic threat."

"Lieutenant General Mike Elviss said the exercise is needed to practise NATO's recce-strike approach, which focuses on finding and destroying enemy forces. He explained that Russia would likely have two advantages in any conflict. They have the ability to concentrate forces at the point of attack, and they would strike first, meaning they have the initial momentum of launching an offensive. He said NATO's response is to rely in part on its recce-strike concept to counter these advantages."

Read at www.standard.co.uk