The UK is conducting a defense-focused wargame to assess how national supply chains would perform under the strain of a sustained, high-intensity conflict.
Participants include senior officials from the UK Ministry of Defence and defense companies such as Boeing, KNDS, MBDA, Rheinmetall, and Tekever.
The scenario simulates a sustained surge in demand for military equipment, assessing how production, logistics, and supply networks would respond over time.
It aims to identify bottlenecks, capacity limits, and dependencies that could affect the availability of critical materiel, as well as potential measures to maintain continuity of supply.
The exercise builds on a previous iteration conducted in December 2024, which focused on ammunition stocks and equipment availability.
This version expands the scope to broader supply chain resilience, including industrial capacity and coordination between stakeholders.
Industrial Capability at Pace
Findings from the wargame are expected to feed into ongoing policy work, including measures set out in the UK Strategic Defence Review and the UK Defence Industrial Strategy.
Both frameworks focus on improving operational readiness, reinforcing domestic production in key sectors, and reducing dependence on single or limited suppliers, particularly where this could create vulnerabilities during sustained operations.
“Defence needs to be able to move fast to respond to an increasingly unpredictable and dangerous world,” stated UK Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard.
“This means not just having the right capabilities, but ensuring our supply chains are resilient, responsive and able to sustain operations over time.”
The exercise is taking place alongside a planned 270-billion-pound ($364 billion) defense investment, which the government links to efforts to strengthen supply chains and expand industrial capacity.
