The UK is preparing to assume leadership of the NATO Allied Reaction Force (ARF) Special Operations Component after completing a two-year programme of preparation, training and validation.
The role will see the UK command the Special Operations Component Command (SOCC), a joint headquarters responsible for coordinating maritime, land and air special operations task groups under the ARF framework. The headquarters has now been formally validated by NATO following exercises in Norway, clearing the way for the UK to take on the role during the ARF readiness year from July 2026 to June 2027.
The training programme has included the establishment of a new NATO Joint Operations Headquarters and a series of demanding multinational exercises designed to test interoperability, command and control, and operational readiness. The most recent, Exercise Hyperion Storm, focused on validating the task groups that will fall under UK command.
Hyperion Storm tested the core competencies of the Special Operations Maritime Task Group, Special Operations Land Task Group and Special Operations Air Task Group, including special reconnaissance, direct action and military assistance. Alongside the UK elements, the SOCC will also command a Spanish Special Operations Land Task Group, reflecting the multinational nature of the ARF.
Colonel Phil O’Callaghan, Deputy Commander of the SOCC, said the validation process was extensive and highly demanding. “The evaluation process is exacting and demanding; every detail is scrutinised,” he said, noting that the headquarters had to meet more than 850 individual performance measures to achieve NATO certification.
He added that the exercise marked a significant milestone for UK special operations. “This is the first time we have brought together the UK’s Joint Special Operations Forces for such an important leadership role in NATO,” he said. “It demonstrates the versatility of the UK Commando Force, Ranger Regiment and Royal Air Force, both in support of our NATO Alliance partners and allies across the globe.”
According to Colonel O’Callaghan, working with partner nations is central to the mission. “Leading this NATO Special Operations Force will not only highlight the skills and leadership of the British Armed Forces, but it also reinforces our national commitment to NATO,” he said.
The Allied Reaction Force is NATO’s high-readiness, multinational force designed to deploy at very short notice across a wide range of scenarios, including collective defence, crisis response and hybrid threats. It integrates land, maritime, air, special operations, cyber, space, logistics and strategic communications capabilities, contributed voluntarily by member states. The UK assumption of the SOF leadership role follows commitments set out in the 2020 Integrated Review and subsequent defence planning, which identified the need to deliver a resilient special operations capability by 2030. The offer to lead the ARF Special Operations Component was made in 2023, with validation exercises carried out throughout 2025 and 2026.
