London (AFP) – High-ranking military personnel from around the world settle in for an Esports exhibition match in London, as the UK Ministry of Defence and British Esports Federation launch a new partnership aimed at developing the “digital and cyber skills” of service personnel. “If you look at Ukraine, a lot of their first person view drone operators have come from the gaming community,” says Lieutenant General Tom Copinger-Symes, deputy commander of Cyber and Specialist Operations. In 2026, the UK will host the inaugural International Defence Esports Games (IDEG), which will see service personnel from nations including the UK, Canada and Poland compete.
