NATO kicked off enhanced Vigilance Activity Neptune Strike 26-4 on Friday, the fourth and final iteration this year.
The enhanced Vigilance Activity will feature the U.K and Italian carrier strike groups and the Turkish Anadolu Naval Task Group and will span Northern, Central and Southern Europe until Nov. 5.
In total, 17 NATO nations will participate in NEST 26-4. Drills will be held from the Mediterranean to the Baltic regions, with operations extending across all three NATO Joint Operations Areas. NEST 26-4 is expected to include more than 20 ships and 40 aircraft conducting approximately 50 coordinated activities, reads a NATO news release. The participating nations are Albania, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, the U.K. and the U.S.
NEST 26-4 is led by Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) and integrates Allied maritime strike capabilities with air, land and amphibious forces.
“Our responsibility is to ensure that when the Alliance calls, our forces are ready to act together – with speed, precision and purpose. That confidence is built through rigorous planning, close coordination with Allied nations and the daily work of turning national capabilities into an integrated NATO force,” said Rear Adm. Eduardo Guitian Crespo, STRIKFORNATO’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, in the release.
Neptune Strike strengthens NATO’s ability to command and coordinate multinational carriers and expeditionary strike groups, submarines and supporting aircraft, according to the release. Through maritime strike, STRIKFORNATO provides Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) with flexible options that deliver joint effects across his Area of Responsibility, reinforcing the Alliance’s collective defense and deterrence.
“By demonstrating that Allied forces can operate together across domains and geographic boundaries, Neptune Strike provides tangible reassurance to Allies and reinforces NATO’s readiness to respond decisively to threats. Its activities strengthen interoperability, support freedom of navigation and maneuver and demonstrate the cohesion underpinning the Alliance’s defense,” reads the release.
The U.K. Carrier Strike Group will carry out activities around Northern Europe and High North as part of NEST 26-4. The strike group includes aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales (R09), destroyer HMS Dauntless (D33) and Royal Norwegian Navy frigate HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen (F310).
Prince of Wales and Dauntless departed their homeport of Portsmouth on Sunday to begin the second phase of the U.K. CSG’s Operation Firecrest deployment to the Atlantic, High North and Arctic region.
Prince of Wales, which was operating in the Norwegian Sea as of Tuesday, had deployed its embarked F-35B Lightning II fighters for missions in the Baltic Sea and Finland, according to a Finnish Navy news release on the same day.
In Finland, the U.K.’s F35Bs and French Rafale fighters have carried out simulated air-to-ground firings and the Finnish Navy’s surface-to-surface missile batteries have conducted simulated firing exercises in the Gulf of Finland coordinated by NATO’s Baltic Sea Command CTF (Commander Task Force) Baltic.
“Activities like Neptune Strike 26 develop the Defense Forces’ ability to lead joint fire operations involving allied aircraft and the Defence Forces’ own fire units. Regular cooperation and flight operations develop the entire alliance’s operational readiness in the Baltic Sea region,” reads the release.
The Italian Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is operating in the Mediterranean for NEST 26-4. The group includes aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (CVH-550), destroyer ITS Andrea Doria (D553) and frigate Virginio Fasan (F591).
The Italian CSG’s participation overlaps with it leading the Italian Navy’s Mare Aperto 2026 exercise that runs from Oct. 13 to Sunday. Mare Aperto is the Italian Navy’s largest operational exercise.
Cavour’s embarked F-35Bs and AV-8B Harrier II fighters are carrying out long-range strike drills with French Air Force MRTT tankers providing aerial refuelling as part of NEST 26-4.
The Turkish Anadolu Naval Task Group is operating in the Adriatic and Ionian Sea as part of NEST 26-4. The group is made up of drone carrier TCG Anadolu (L400), with three 3 TB-3 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVS) and a Turkish Marine battalion landing force embarked, frigate TCG Gaziantep (F-490) and submarine TCG Gur (S357).
On Monday, the Turkish Anadolu Naval Task Group conducted an amphibious landing demonstration off the coast of Albania. Anadolu and Gaziante previously participated in Mare Aperto, carrying out a joint sail with the Italian CSG in the Mediterranean when the exercise began.
Ships assigned to NATO’s four standing naval task forces are expected to take part in NEST 24-6 in their respective area of operations. Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) will operate in the Atlantic, Baltic and High North while SNMG2 and SNMCM1 will operate in the Mediterranean and Southern Europe.
SNMG1 is led by German Navy fleet oiler FGS Berlin (A1411). The group also includes Royal Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Québec (FFH332), Portuguese Navy frigate NRP D. Francisco de Almeida (F334) and French Navy patrol vessel FS Commandant Blaison (F793) and fleet oiler FS Somme (A631).
The first mine countermeasures unit is made up of flagship Lithuanian Navy command and support ship LNS Jotvingis (N42), Polish Navy mine countermeasure vessel ORP Mewa (603) and Finnish Navy mine countermeasure vessel FNS Purunpaa (41).
SNMG2 is led by flagship Hellenic Navy frigate flagship HS Kountouriotis (F462), Spanish Navy frigate ESPS Blas de Lezo (F103) and fleet oiler ESPS Patiño (A14), Italian Navy frigate ITS Federico Martinengo (F596) and Turkish Navy corvette TCG Burgazada (F513).
The second mine countermeasures unit includes German Navy fleet oiler FGS Rhein (A513) and minehunter FGS Fulda (M1058), Italian Navy minehunter ITS Numana (M5557), Spanish Navy minehunter ESPS Turia (M34) and Turkish Navy minehunter TCG Akçakoca (M268) assigned to it. SNMCG2 also participated in Mare Aperto, joining a group sail led by Cavour.
