A multinational NATO naval force has departed southern Spain to begin the maritime phase of Exercise STEADFAST DART 26, according to the alliance.
The Maritime Component Command of the NATO Allied Reaction Force deployed from Rota Naval Base on 31 January aboard the Spanish amphibious assault ship ESPS Castilla, marking the start of large-scale maritime activity linked to the exercise.
The deployment is being led by Spain’s Maritime Forces Headquarters, which is currently assigned as NATO’s high-readiness Maritime Component Command for the Allied Reaction Force. From this role, the headquarters is responsible for planning, commanding and coordinating maritime forces operating as part of the alliance’s rapid response structure.
A total of six warships sailed from Rota under the command of the Maritime Component Command. The Spanish Navy’s ESPS Castilla is acting as the command platform, escorted by the air defence frigate ESPS Cristóbal Colón. They are joined by a Turkish amphibious task group consisting of TCG Anadolu, TCG Derya, TCG İstanbul and TCG Oruçreis.
Around 2,000 sailors, airmen and marines are assigned to the maritime headquarters element for STEADFAST DART 26. The force includes amphibious units, helicopters, maritime patrol assets, unmanned systems, landing craft and armoured and amphibious vehicles, allowing operations across a wide range of maritime and littoral missions. As the task group transits north towards the Baltic Sea, with Kiel listed as a key destination, it is expected to integrate additional NATO naval forces, including Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1, expanding the scale of the exercise and strengthening multinational coordination.
During the transit phase, the force will also conduct joint and combined training with allied nations including Portugal, France and the Netherlands, focusing on interoperability and command integration. Exercise STEADFAST DART 26 forms part of NATO’s wider effort to test the readiness and deployability of the Allied Reaction Force, demonstrating the alliance’s ability to rapidly assemble and command multinational maritime forces across long distances in support of deterrence and collective defence.
