MASS announces successful JV 2025

Land December 11, 2025

Defence and technology firm MASS, a subsidiary of Cohort plc, has announced the successful delivery of the Joint Venture 2025 exercise for the UK Ministry of Defence.

The exercise, conducted in November 2025, served as the principal annual operational validation event for the UK’s Standing Joint Force Headquarters Group (SJFHQ Gp). Its primary objective was to test the readiness of the headquarters to plan, deploy, and execute sovereign tasks within a broader NATO operational context, ensuring preparedness for potential conflicts in Europe.

The delivery of the exercise was managed by the MOD’s Integrated Warfare Centre (IWC), with MASS providing comprehensive support under the ongoing Joint Command and Staff Training (JCAST) contract. This contract falls under the authority of the MOD’s Cyber and Specialist Operations Command (CSOC). The exercise involved up to 200 military personnel operating across two main fixed locations and several remote nodes throughout Europe, simulating a realistic deployment scenario. MASS’s role encompassed the design, preparation, delivery, and subsequent analysis of the training event, demonstrating a key industrial partnership in maintaining the UK’s operational readiness.

A significant development for Joint Venture 2025 was the introduction of an enhanced synthetic training environment. For the first time, MASS integrated advanced simulation technologies from its supply chain partners to increase the realism and complexity of the exercise. This included the deployment of Antycip’s MAK ONE VR Forces for 3D animation and Hadean’s PopulAI platform, which provided a greater level of fidelity and granularity in the simulated operating environment. These tools are designed to create a more immersive, data-rich setting that accurately reflects the demands of modern multi-domain operations.

Further collaboration was evident through the use of the Exonaut platform from 4C Strategies, a long-term partner of MASS. The platform was utilised for Main Events List and Main Incidents List management, providing digital control during the execution phase and enabling exercise controllers to dynamically adjust scenarios. According to Brigadier Matt Baker, Head of Warfare Development at the IWC, the cooperation between the IWC and its technical partners was highly effective in challenging the training audience. The exercise supports objectives outlined in the Strategic Defence Review and underscores the MOD’s reliance on integrated solutions from the defence industry to prepare its high-readiness forces for emerging threats.

If you would like to join our community and read more articles like this then please click here