British military opens no-deal Brexit nerve centre
The UK MoD has started up a no-deal Brexit operations centre in a nuclear-bomb-proof bunker in central London, a spokesperson told AFP on 21 March.
‘It’s a team that’s ready to support any action if it becomes necessary,’ the spokesperson said, adding that the new centre has ‘all the right infrastructure’.
‘As we get closer to a theoretical or possible no-deal, this is the place where the response could be coordinated,’ the spokesman said.
The MoD in December 2018 said 3,500 military personnel would be on stand-by to help government departments for ‘any contingencies’ in case of a no-deal outcome.
The spokesman said those troops were now ‘at readiness’.
The military’s crisis management operation for a no-deal Brexit, which is dubbed Operation Redfold, was activated at the beginning of this week.
The bunker is underneath the MoD main building in Whitehall (pictured) and is the facility used in times of national emergency, British media reported.
Military personnel could be used to help transport food, fuel and other goods into and around the country in case of delays at the border, the reports said.
More from Defence Notes
-
Ukraine turns legacy Kongsberg land turrets into semi-autonomous USV weapons
The company told Shephard that Ukraine is operating modified Protector weapon stations originally supplied for armoured vehicles, with human operators authorising engagements from hundreds of kilometres away.
-
UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour
A report from the Council on Geostrategy argues the UK should move away from a traditional balanced force and shift investment to naval, air and space capabilities, backed by a larger fleet of attack submarines and deeper AUKUS integration.
-
Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era
At its technology summit in London, attended by Shephard, Thales UK examined the importance of speed to delivery, the growing focus on cross-domain capabilities and how procurement reform could be crucial for future battlefield advantage.
-
Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.