Your Move: What Ukrainian Drone Operators Taught NATO

The battlefield is changing. During Exercise Hedgehog 2025 in Estonia, Ukrainian drone teams exposed vulnerabilities that left two NATO battalions unable to continue fighting within a day under exercise conditions.

Join us at the Seldon Speakeasy in SoMa to explore how it happened and what Ukraine’s experience can teach us about making decisions under pressure. Then put your own judgement to the test with a first chance to take on Rook - Seldon’s behavioural simulation for defence and national security.

• 📖 Story behind the headline. What caught NATO units off guard at Hedgehog and what Ukrainian experience over the last 5 years has led to.

• ♟️ Your team against Rook. Get your briefing, work out a plan and make your move. Rook's agents will respond, new information will be presented, and you’ll have to decide whether to hold your nerve or change course.

• 📄 Compare results. See how the other teams approached the same challenge, then pull apart the results with our team. Find out what you overlooked, question the simulation and make the case for your decisions.

• 🍸 A proper evening at the speakeasy. Drinks served by our bartender, and conversations into the evening. Meet people across defence, research and technology, and get to know the team behind Seldon.

Seldon is an applied research lab modelling human behaviour. We’re building Finch for simulated usability testing for product teams, Wren for QA testing for engineering teams, and Rook for decision simulation for national security and defence.

No military or wargaming experience needed. Come with friends or join a team on the night.