The UK will deploy its Carrier Strike Group, led by HMS Prince of Wales, to the North Atlantic and High North on Operation FIRECREST.
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News Release, Whitehall, 14 February 2026: [extracts] Britain will send its Carrier Strike Group back to sea in 2026 in a major show of force across the Euro-Atlantic and High North, reinforcing NATO’s deterrence at a time of rising Russian threats in the region.
Known as ‘Operation FIRECREST’ and led by HMS Prince of Wales – the largest warship in the Royal Navy – the UK will deploy the strike group across the North Atlantic and Arctic. It will include world-class Royal Navy warships and RAF fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets to bolster defence and security. It comes as Russia’s military activity in the North Atlantic continues to increase.
The deployment will see the UK and US working side-by-side on Euro-Atlantic security around the North American East Coast, boosting the historic alliance between the two nations. The Carrier Strike Group will sail across the Atlantic to visit a US port, with US jets also expected to operate from the flight deck of HMS Prince of Wales.
The deployment will include activity under NATO’s ARCTIC SENTRY mission, launched this week, strengthening the Alliance’s security in a region where melting sea ice is opening new routes and increasing threat from hostile state activity.
Operation FIRECREST will involve thousands of personnel from all three services of the Armed Forces, demonstrating Britain’s ability to project force wherever it is needed and operate seamlessly within NATO. The Carrier Strike Group will exercise alongside NATO’s Standing Naval Maritime Group 1, itself being led by the UK, with HMS Dragon acting as the command ship of the NATO maritime group throughout 2026.
Parts of the deployment will fall under NATO command, including close cooperation with operational headquarters Joint Force Command Norfolk, which is set to be under the command of a British officer for the first time. The deployment will be carried out alongside key allies including the United States, Canada, and Joint Expeditionary Force nations.
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