NATO’s enhanced Vigilance Activity Neptune Strike 25-4 is under way from 19 to 26 November 2025, combining the maritime strike capabilities of the United Kingdom and Italian Carrier Strike Groups in the Mediterranean Sea. HMS Prince of Wales and ITS Cavour remain under NATO operational command led by Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO in Oeiras, Portugal.
The two carrier groups work with multiple Allied air and naval assets to conduct full spectrum multi-domain operations across Europe. Activity stretches as far north as the Baltic Sea region, to the Black Sea, and along NATO’s South-Eastern flank.
Although both carriers operate in the Mediterranean, their aviation elements launch long-range strike missions on training ranges in Bulgaria, Poland and Romania. These missions are supported and coordinated by a mix of air and ground assets.
Forces from ten Allied nations take part, namely Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, Norway, Poland, Romania, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States. Their operations include carrier-based aviation sorties, anti-submarine and air defence warfare activity, and surface warfare tasks.
A key feature of this iteration is the involvement of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles from the NATO Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Force based at Sigonella in Italy. NISRF provides radar reconnaissance and surveillance that is autonomous and independent of weather and time of day, giving the Alliance a unique capability.
Fifth-generation F-35 aircraft from the United Kingdom and Italy work alongside B-52 Stratofortresses from the United States bomber task force, NATO RQ-4D unmanned aircraft and other advanced assets. Their combined presence highlights NATO’s commitment to defending every inch of Allied territory.
The Neptune Strike series is designed to demonstrate NATO’s ability to integrate high-end maritime strike capabilities, strengthen deterrence and ensure freedom of navigation across key waterways. It also aims to secure strategic maritime chokepoints while testing interoperability across air, land and sea.
As part of Project Neptune, conceived in 2020, Neptune Strike 25-4 shows NATO’s capacity to integrate multinational naval and strike forces rapidly over long distances. The Alliance stresses that all activities are long planned, defensive in nature and fully compliant with international law.
Source: NATO (press release).