NATO drills defense against Russian attack in London Underground
MOD Crown Copyright 2026/WO2 Jon Bevan RLC via The Independent
NATO
officers set up a command post and carried out exercises on an abandoned
platform at Charing Cross station to rehearse repelling a hypothetical Russian
attack, The Independent reported
on May 22.
The exercise, called Operation Arrcade Strike, used the underground platform as a makeshift headquarters and simulated operations to deliver “deep strikes” on Russia if Russian forces attacked a NATO ally, the paper said. British defense sources told The Independent that the deployment was partly aimed at testing the alliance’s ability to survive and improvise under pressure.
“Speaking from the Tube platform, U.S. general Christopher Donahue, head of NATO’s Land Command, delivered an unvarnished warning to the alliance, saying that Nato has little time to prepare to meet a potential Russian attack,” the newspaper wrote.
The Independent reported that U.K. defense officials warned of limited drone stocks, saying Britain has enough drones for only about a week of sustained combat if hundreds are used daily, far fewer than would likely be needed. The report contrasted that with Ukraine’s heavy daily drone use, saying Kyiv fields thousands of drones in continuous operations.
“Mission-ready by 2030 is not a slogan, it is what we must do,” The Independent quoted Donahue.
“Legacy forms of mobilisation and movement are no longer a given Nato advantage, and a lack of protection in depth will be used against us.”
The drills came the same week that Russian dictator Vladimir
Putin held military exercises in Belarus, including nuclear-capable maneuvers
on land and in the air, The Independent noted. The newspaper said Russia’s
long-range strike capabilities are growing and that only Ukraine currently
rivals Russia in drone employment in modern warfare, underscoring the
importance of testing command resilience structures.
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