UK Ministry of Defence Conducts War Games to Assess Wartime Readiness

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is conducting a simulated major conflict to evaluate the resilience of ammunition and equipment supplies during a wartime situation. According to the MoD, this marks the initial instance of such war games including participants from the defence industry, in addition to military commanders and government officials. The exercise, scheduled for one week, commenced on Monday morning at the Defence Academy located in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. Defence Secretary John Healey stated that the exercise’s objective is to guarantee that both government and industry “are capable of innovation at wartime speed.” Mr. Healey informed the BBC that the simulation would explore “a range of scenarios in which we may be faced by conflict, we may be faced with protracted fighting and we may be faced with severe disruption in the supply chains.” This war-gaming exercise coincides with the introduction of the government’s defence industrial strategy. The Defence Secretary indicated that this strategy aims to foster a more innovative and robust supply chain, while also stimulating British industry. Addressing the London Defence Conference, Healey conveyed his message to “invest in defence and send a strong signal to Putin,” emphasizing that national security serves as the bedrock for growth. The conflict initiated by Russia in Ukraine has exposed significant deficiencies in Europe’s capacity to sustain a prolonged war, as industrial responses were initially sluggish. In 2021, Lt Gen Ben Hodges, the former head of the US Army in Europe, informed Members of Parliament that the British Army rapidly depleted its ammunition during a previous war-gaming exercise. He reported that the British Army’s complete inventory was exhausted, with all crucial ammunition expended prior to the conclusion of the 10-day exercise. Officials state that prior to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the combined production capacity of all NATO allies for 155mm artillery shells was merely tens of thousands annually. Currently, the 32 member nations can produce two million rounds per year. While this represents a substantial increase, it still falls below Russia’s estimated annual production of three million artillery shells. This week’s MoD war-gaming will concentrate on the supply chains for artillery munitions and uncrewed systems, commonly referred to as drones. These are precisely the same types of supplies being utilized in thousands weekly in Ukraine. An MoD official indicated that the war-gaming would simulate “real-time, war-time scenarios” and impose authentic pressures on supply chains. The exercise aims to identify weaknesses within the supply chain and guide subsequent investment choices. Among the defence companies participating in this exercise are BAE Systems, MBDA, Lockheed Martin, and Babcock. The government’s defence industrial strategy is scheduled for publication in the spring. This strategy will integrate into a broader ongoing defence review. The government has pledged to augment defence spending, asserting its intention to outline a plan to achieve a target of allocating 2.5% of GDP to defence next year.