Deep inside Charing Cross underground station, in the old, unused end of the Jubilee line, a secret NATO command bunker has been quietly operating this week. Dozens of soldiers, mostly British, have been taking part in a war game set in 2030, where they defend Estonia from a Russian invasion—all while commuters and tourists rush by above, unaware.
The hidden rooms are behind two sets of metal double doors that are usually locked. A red glow at the bottom of the escalator is the first hint of troops below, followed by fake newspaper covers pasted over old advertisements. They announce that a British NATO force has been sent to Estonia in response to a Russian troop buildup on the border.
View image in fullscreen: The entrance to the makeshift command post on a disused London Underground platform during exercise Arrcade Strike. Photograph: Richard Pohle
“The scenario you’re about to see is deliberately set in 2030 because that’s when we believe the threat from Russia will be most serious,” says Lt Gen Mike Elviss, commander of the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, in a video briefing. Military analysts estimate that if the war in Ukraine ends, a rearmed Russia could be ready to attack Europe again by that point.
The goal, on the surface, is to show Moscow that despite Donald Trump’s tough talk, NATO is ready—at least operationally—to defend its most vulnerable members in the Baltic region. But a more important audience is just a mile away in Westminster, where the Ministry of Defence has been locked in a funding dispute with the Treasury for months.
View image in fullscreen: Soldiers at work in the Ukraine-style bunker. Photograph: Richard Pohle
Rebuilding the British army, it’s said, will cost billions in investment, especially for drones. It’s estimated that it will cost £50 million a year to get the arms industry producing enough simple one-way attack drones—like those seen in Ukraine—and £500 million a year to develop more advanced models, such as armed driverless vehicles.
If a full-scale war broke out in Eastern Europe tomorrow, the British military would reportedly run out of drones in less than a week, able to launch only a few hundred a day. Based on this thinking, the British army is 80 to 90% short of the drones it believes it needs—for reconnaissance, air defense, or attack.
The exercise, called Arrcade Strike, is meant to show “the strategic reserve corps you could have by 2030,” said Elviss. Three junior defense ministers visited the secret bunker on Wednesday, though the secretary of state, John Healey, was busy with official business and has been visiting Estonia, where most of the UK’s 4th brigade is now deployed as part of a related exercise.
View image in fullscreen: The command centre can transmit 10 terabytes of data a day, equivalent to three months of Netflix. Photograph: Richard Pohle
Chairs, computers, and screens fill the underground hall and spill onto a platform: a temporary Ukraine-style bunker, ready for a simulated war shaped not only by the conflict in Ukraine but also by the recent US attack on Iran. In theory, the command centre can hold 500 people and transmit 10 terabytes of data a day—the same as three months of Netflix.
What follows is carefully planned. To explain the mission, journalists are invited to put on virtual reality headsets, supplied by US tech company Anduril (US Vice President JD Vance is an investor), which show a 3D model of the battle plan. In this polished, computer-generated vision of war, the first waves of drones are lost, but Russian positions are quickly found and destroyed.
The operation is laid out clearly: a NATO force would use thousands of drones or more to lead a counterattack against Russian forces, revealing and taking out enemy air defenses, positions, and headquarters with the help of fighter jets and artillery, all the way from the border to St. Petersburg. It’s not meant to be subtle; the rehearsals are done “because the adversary is watching,” Elviss said.
View image in fullscreen: The command centre hasThis wasn’t just created because of the war in Ukraine, but also because of the recent US attack on Iran.
Photograph: Richard Pohle
One goal is to showcase the British army’s Asgard project—a digital communication system that uses artificial intelligence (referencing Hivemind, from US company Shield AI) on the battlefield. It connects any surveillance tool to any weapon. The main point of AI is to speed up decision-making, including identifying targets, cutting the time from 72 hours down to two hours, following the lead of the Israeli and US militaries.
A virtual target is identified, though it’s not shown how. The exercise includes a new deep strike unit that can hit targets 90 miles away using M270 artillery. That means it could bomb Leicester if the rocket launcher was set up at Charing Cross.
View image in fullscreen
Artificial intelligence is being used to speed up decision-making in wartime.
Photograph: Richard Pohle
Three bombing options appear in a drop-down menu, chosen with AI help based on available weapons. An icon is selected, a new screen loads, and near the bottom, a red flashing fire button appears.
It falls to Nato’s military chief, US General Alexus Grynkewich, to praise British efforts “to transform into an AI-powered command post” in a video message. If the AI made a mistake during Arrcade Strike, no one seems to notice—though this is just a demonstration.
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There are signs that the defence budget will soon be increased to close the £18bn funding gap.
Photograph: Richard Pohle/Times
This is war in 2026 and 2030: a fast, high-tech way to deliver death from a distance, safely underground. Meanwhile, at the Ministry of Defence, early hints suggest that next month, several billion more will be found to boost the defence budget, close an £18bn funding gap, and start paying for the British army of the near future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about the article Watch out for the drone gap war games are starting inside a secret NATO bunker in a London tube station
BeginnerLevel Questions
Q What is the drone gap
A It refers to the difference between how many drones countries like Russia and China have versus how many NATO countries have The concern is that NATO is falling behind
Q Is there really a secret NATO bunker in a London tube station
A Yes there is a decommissioned tube station used as a secret military command center Its called the Pindar bunker and its located under the streets of London
Q What are war games
A War games are practice battles or simulations that military leaders do to test strategies and see how they would respond in a real conflict without any actual fighting
Q Why are they playing war games in an old tube station
A The bunker is a secure hidden location that can survive a real attack Its designed to be a safe place for NATO commanders to coordinate a response
Q What is the main point of this article
A The article warns that NATO is worried about being outnumbered by enemy drones in a future war and they are using secret simulations in London to figure out how to close that gap
AdvancedLevel Questions
Q What specific drone threats are they simulating in the bunker
A They are simulating massive swarms of small cheap drones used for spying and attacking as well as larger more advanced drones The focus is on overwhelming NATO defenses
Q How does this drone gap affect NATOs battle plans
A It means NATO has to rethink how it protects its tanks ships and bases They cant rely on old air defenses because a swarm of cheap drones can overwhelm them faster than expensive missiles can shoot them down
Q What are the practical solutions being tested in these war games
A They are testing new technologies like directedenergy weapons electronic jammers to block drone signals and AI systems that can track and prioritize hundreds of targets at once
Q Is the Pindar bunker still an active military command center
