UK tests defence supply chains under war conditions in major exercise
Major wargame exercise brings together leading defence companies to test supply chain resilience under wartime pressure.
- Five major defence companies to war-game with the Ministry of DefenceĀ to testĀ how UK supply chains would hold up under the pressures of a sustained conflict.
- The findings will directly shape defence policy, ensuring the UKās Armed Forces have the equipment and supplies they need, when they need them.
- Record Ā£270 billion investmentĀ in UK defence over this parliament is strengthening supply chains, creating skilledĀ jobsĀ and making defence an engine for growth across the country.
A major wargame with leading defence companies this week will test how supply chains would perform under the pressure of sustained, large-scale conflict.Ā
The exercise is bringing together five major defence companies - Boeing, KNDS, MBDA, Rheinmetall andĀ TekeverĀ - alongside senior Ministry of Defence (MOD) leaders.
Participants will work through a scenario requiring a surge in demand for key equipment to beĀ maintainedĀ over an extended period, examining where constraints mayĀ emergeĀ and what actions government and industry can take to minimise risk.Ā
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP, said:
Defence needs to be able to move fast to respond to an increasingly unpredictable and dangerous world. This means not just having the right capabilities, but ensuring our supply chains are resilient,Ā responsiveĀ and able to sustain operations over time. Activities like this wargame are essential to strengthening that readiness.Ā
The MOD-industry exercise builds onĀ a previousĀ wargame held in December 2024, which stress tested ammunition and equipment supplies within a war time scenario. Findings from the exercise will inform ongoing policy and legislative development, including work to improve defence readiness set out in both the Strategic Defence Review and the Defence Industrial Strategy.Ā
The Defence Industrial StrategyĀ set outĀ howĀ significant investmentĀ willĀ build a more resilient and responsive defence supply chain.Ā The Strategy prioritises strengthening domestic supply chains in critical areas, diversifying the supplierĀ baseĀ and ensuring smaller, innovative companies can play a greater role in equipping our Armed Forces.Ā
TheĀ Strategic Defence Review set out the UKās commitment to building sovereign industrial capability at pace, and this wargame is part of that effort ā ensuring that plans to surge supply in a crisis can be tested,Ā refinedĀ and delivered in practice.Ā
National Armaments Director, Rupert Pearce said: Ā
MOD is prioritising more meaningful collaboration with companies of all sizes to meet the challenge of supporting our Armed Forces with the kit and equipment they need. Supply Chain wargaming plays a critical role by bringing MOD and industry together to test assumptions, identify opportunities to improve readiness and ensure that our plans can be delivered in practice.
The work is backed by the largest sustained increase in spending since the end of the Cold War - rising to 2.6% of GDP from 2027.Ā