The British Army, together with NATO allies, conducted a major command post exercise, Arrcade Strike, rehearsing a response to a possible Russian invasion of the Baltic states. The exercise took place in an unusual and secret location – the abandoned platforms of Charing Cross underground station in central London.
According to the BBC, hundreds of British troops converted the disused section of the station (the former Jubilee Line platforms, closed since 1999) into a fully functional underground command center, approximately 26 meters underground. This allowed them to practice managing large-scale military operations in conditions as close to combat as possible, with protection from strikes and disruption of communications.
Key details of the exercise
Scale – the exercise focused on planning and commanding an operation involving up to 100,000 troops from the UK and other NATO countries.
Participants included hundreds of British soldiers, as well as representatives from the United States, France, Italy, and other Alliance countries (more than 20 countries in total).
The scenario simulated a Russian attack on a Baltic state (Estonia was specifically mentioned) in 2030. Participants practiced “deep strikes,” the use of electronic warfare to suppress Russian communications and drones, and coordinated actions on land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.
The objectives were to test new technologies, including artificial intelligence systems, rapid decision-making, and secure command and control in urban environments and potential enemy strikes.
ARRC Commander Lieutenant General Mike Elwiss emphasized that the exercise was necessary to practice the reconnaissance-strike model to quickly locate and destroy enemy forces.
The underground location was chosen deliberately; it reduces the risk of detection and attack, given the experience of the war in Ukraine. Charing Cross Station has previously been used for filming (Skyfall and others). Exercise Arrcade Strike was part of a major boost to NATO’s readiness in the face of ongoing Russian aggression. The British Army called it “one of the most ambitious military exercises in a generation.”