A recent wargame simulation at Bath University brought together public sector workers, banks, and utilities to test the UK's home defence capabilities in a wartime scenario.
The UK’s ability to respond to a large-scale attack was put to the test in a unique wargame that brought together local authorities, emergency services, and the military. The simulation, dubbed Exercise Grapple revealed a strong appetite for worst-case scenario training across the country.
Held at Bath University over two days in the summer, the wargame was organized by the National Civil Protection Centre a new non-governmental entity. Participants were divided into groups representing a national cell, a local resilience forum, and various localized groupings.
They faced a series of crises, including sabotage, cyber hostilities, and a barrage of drones and missiles.
The Existing System: A Foundation for Improvement
The wargame found that the existing emergency structures worked fairly well, even when applied to a war scenario.
However, the organizers concluded that more coordinationintegration and resilience are needed. In their report, they stated, “The most significant finding is not that the existing system requires wholesale replacement. Rather, Grapple demonstrates that the existing resilience architecture provides a substantial foundation upon which a more integrated Home Defence capability can be developed.”
This wargame was one of the first multi-agency home defence exercises held in the UK in decades. It was based on a modern adaptation of actual home defence training that local government officials received during the Cold War. That system was shelved after the Soviet Union collapsed, and since then, local authorities have focused on more routine hazards like floods, power cuts, and pandemics.
The Importance of Multi-Agency Collaboration
The simulation highlighted the importance of the relationship between army liaison officers and local authorities. In a wartime scenario, the military would turn to civil authorities for assistance, reversing the usual dynamic where the military aids local communities in natural disasters.
Nick Gould a founding member of the National Civil Protection Centre, drew on his experience in emergency war planning from the late 1980s. He emphasized that “home defence is not the responsibility of one organisation. It is a national capability created by connecting the capabilities that already exist.”
The wargame offered a glimpse into how current emergency teams and personnel might cope during a time of war. Participants were forced to make the best of limited resources, even though dealing with the impact of an act of war was a scenario they largely had not trained for.
The organizers of the wargame stressed the need to strengthen the connections between strategic coordination, tactical operations, local government, community capability, critical infrastructure, and the voluntary sector. They also emphasized the importance of being able to operate when conventional assumptions no longer hold.
The Cabinet Office which has This indicates a growing recognition of the need for enhanced home defence capabilities in the UK.
