Hundreds of British soldiers conducted a major command post exercise in disused platforms at Charing Cross Underground station in central London. The exercise, run by the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, tested the deployable NATO corps headquarters’ ability to plan and command large-scale operations involving about 100,000 personnel from the UK and NATO allies. Commanders described a shift from tents and open areas to commercial buildings, aircraft hangars, and underground locations. Operating below ground was presented as reducing signature, improving survivability, and making forces harder to detect. The tunnels were selected for being disused, spacious enough for a full command post, and located in the heart of a major city to validate operations in complex urban environments. Coordination covered land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.
"Hundreds of British soldiers took part in what the army called "one of the most ambitious military exercises in a generation" in the disused platforms of Charing Cross Underground station. Arrcade Strike was described as "a major command post exercise run by the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC), which is NATO's deployable corps headquarters, led by the British Army". It was designed to test ARRC's ability to plan and command large-scale military operations involving about 100,000 personnel drawn from the UK and its NATO allies."
""We have moved from operating in tents and open environments, to commercial buildings, to aircraft hangars, and now to underground locations," explained one commander during last week's exercise. "Operating below ground significantly reduces our signature, makes us harder to find, and improves our chances of surviving attack." An army spokesperson said: "It's a lesson already being applied in Ukraine and by NATO partners on Europe's eastern flank. "Getting underground is not a novelty, it's a survival strategy.""
""The Charing Cross tunnels were chosen because they're disused, spacious enough for a full command post, and crucially, in the heart of a major city, proving the concept works even in the most complex urban environment imaginable. "The war in Ukraine has reminded the world of a hard truth: threats to peace in Europe are not distant or theoretical. "Russia has mobilised its entire economy, industry and military for war. The security of every NATO country is at stake.""
"From the hidden underground location at Charing Cross, troops coordinated activity on land, sea, air, space and cyberspace."
Read at www.bbc.com
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