You are the Local Resilience Forum of a fictional UK region named Vallen, in the autumn of 2028. In Exercise Grey Heron you will experience a civil contingency challenge concurrent with the last phase of the US presidential election, the transition, and the immediate aftermath of the new president’s inauguration.
In this sandbox, you can explore Vallen, read the Turn One Briefing, and input a Course of Action for your chosen role: Mayor, Police, Fire, Ambulance & Coastguard, Regional Energy Chief Operating Officer, Regional Military HQ, or a civil servant expert in Stratcoms delegated to the MSA from Whitehall.
You can also explore the current status of Vallen’s infrastructure, and the state of public opinion in the region, segmented by age, occupation, ethnicity/religion and political tribe.
| STATUS AT START OF TURN 1 | |
|---|---|
| Threat level (JTAC) | Moderate |
| Russian posture | Hybrid |
| Game length | 4 months |
| CCA 2004 | Hardened |
| Defence Readiness Act | In force |
| LEGISLATION | STATUS |
|---|---|
| Civil Contingencies Act 2004 | Hardened; places statutory duties on LRFs |
| National Security Act 2023 | In force against foreign interference; little appetite to prosecute UK nationals |
| Defence Readiness Act | In force |
The Defence Readiness Act lets the state centrally direct critical infrastructure through a single ministry; mobilise the reserve and strategic reserve; restrict online disinformation sources; and direct defence, dual-use industrial and university research facilities.
In the 12 months before the exercise opens, each Blue cell made one preparatory decision.
| CELL | PREPARATION |
|---|---|
| CNI | Each household has 5 days' food and water stockpiled |
| Emergency services | 200 staff trained in drone surveillance |
| Stratcoms | Crisis booklet and town-hall meetings |
| MSA | Community Emergency Hubs in 80% of settlements |
| Military | Secure database of 9,000 Strategic Reservists |
| TURN | TIMING |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ends 7 Nov 2028 |
| 2 | Ends 7 Jan 2029 |
| 3 | Ends 30 Jan 2029 |
| 4 | Lasts 180 days |
Each turn, every cell submits a course of action. The umpires adjudicate and report the effects at the next turn briefing. Decisive, joined-up action at regional level will always have a tangible effect.
This document describes the state of the world, the UK and the Vallen region at STARTEX. Vallen’s MSA, emergency services and military HQ are geographically coterminous, representing an idealised state versus the patchwork reality of the UK.
In a real Feliks.ai wargame, your LRF would face hybrid actions targeted at the UK in general, and the region specifically. The Red Team would act dynamically to achieve goals for an adversary that are unknown to you.
The sandbox presents only the game environment. The full product is dynamic and interactive, and can be tailored to suit your training and exercise needs. Please contact the Feliks.ai team to arrange a trial.