The UK Carrier Strike Group led by HMS Prince of Wales, has taken command of a major NATO maritime activity in the High North. Exercise Neptune Strike 26-3 marks the first time the Alliance’s recurring enhanced Vigilance Activity has expanded into the Arctic and North Atlantic, reflecting NATO’s growing focus on deterring Russian activity in one of its most strategically important regions.
Running from 17 to 23 July, Neptune Strike 26-3 is directed by NATO’s Naval Striking and Support Forces (STRIKFORNATO) and forms part of the wider Arctic Sentry initiative established earlier this year. Rather than being a standalone exercise, Neptune Strike is one of several recurring NATO activities designed to maintain a persistent allied presence and improve the Alliance’s ability to command multinational forces already deployed across Europe.
For this iteration, HMS Prince of Wales assumed command of a multinational force that included the integration of the French FREMM frigate FS Aquitaine and HMS Somerset, alongside the carrier’s regular escorts HMS Duncan and RFA Tidespring. Operating under NATO command demonstrates the UK’s ability not only to contribute forces but also to lead major allied maritime operations.
The arrival of the two frigates finally gives the CSG some anti-submarine credibility that was previously lacking while HMS Duncan was the sole escort for much of the FIRECREST deployment.
The activity also brought together the Spanish Expeditionary Strike Group, centred on the amphibious ship ESPS Castilla operating in the Mediterranean. Neptune Strike involves warships, submarines and aircraft from 14 allied nations, including Denmark, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania and the United States.
The demanding environment provides realistic operational conditions that cannot easily be replicated elsewhere. Anti-submarine warfare ASW is particularly complex because layers of fresh water from melting ice alter sea salinity and affect sonar performance, making submarine detection more difficult. Extreme seasonal variations, inclement weather, with continuous daylight in summer and prolonged darkness in winter, further complicate operations.
FS Aquitaine
HMS Prince of Wales embarked an air group comprising eight F-35B jets, three Merlin Mk2 helicopters, two Wildcat HMA2 helicopters and two Malloy T150B uncrewed aerial systems. HMS Duncan carried a further pair of Malloy aircraft, highlighting the gradual integration of uncrewed systems into routine carrier strike operations.
RFA Tidespring conduct a demonstration replenishment at sea with the Danish patrol vessel HDMS Thetis while underway after departing Iceland.
Neptune Strike forms part of Operation FIRECREST, the Royal Navy’s current deployment to demonstrate the UK’s ability to generate and command a modern carrier strike force within NATO. The deployment also supports the UK’s leadership role in Arctic Sentry, a new NATO activity launched in January 2026 to strengthen deterrence across the GIUK Gap and High North.
NATO has adopted greater persistent presence model through activities such as Baltic Sentry, Eastern Sentry and Arctic Sentry, maintaining continuous multinational forces in strategically important regions rather than relying solely on periodic large-scale exercises. The approach is intended to improve readiness, strengthen interoperability and demonstrate that allied naval forces can rapidly integrate under common command if required.
HMS Somerset and HMS Duncan. By mid-July, HMS Somerset had sailed 40,520 km since being deployed on Operation CETO in March.
With Neptune Strike now complete, HMS Prince of Wales is expected to return to Portsmouth later this week, concluding the first phase of Operation FIRECREST before preparations begin for the next stage of the carrier’s programme, including hosting the Atlantic Future Forum in Oslo this November.
