'Most demanding' Nato exercise to begin as HMS Prince of Wales and Royal Navy set to face subsea 'threats'

The ‘most demanding’ exercise in the Nato calendar is due to start with the Royal Navy at the heart of the operation.

Exercise Dynamic Mongoose 2026 in the Norwegian Sea will create a ‘complex training environment’ for personnel focused on anti-submarine training drills, a Nato statement said. Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, commanded by Royal Navy Commodore Maryla Ingham, will be participating to enhance the exercise’s maritime integration and operational depth.

The Royal Navy also confirmed in a statement that HMS Prince of Wales and the UK Carrier Strike Group will be involved in the drills. Trondheim, Norway, will be the hug for surface operations, with Norwegian personnel in Stavangar supporting air assets.

Cdre Ingham said: “Exercise Dynamic Mongoose is NATO's premier Anti-Submarine Warfare exercise in the North Atlantic region every year, and I am delighted to Command the Taskforce for this iteration. We have an opportunity to work alongside Allies, with a key focus on high-intensity training and multinational cooperation, whilst maintaining levels of readiness to safeguard our mutual objectives.

“We are bringing together an array of NATO capabilities with a particular focus on underwater in the Arctic and High North. By integrating live surface, subsurface and air assets we can provide a realistic exercise scenario which tests the ships taking part in order to ensure they are ready to face potential threats in the future.”

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Underwater operations and anti-submarine drills will be a key part of Operation Firecrest. HMS Prince of Wales and the UKCSG will be conducting various drills with Nato allies, including US forces. This comes as First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins previously warned of Vladimir Putin enhancing Russia’s submarine force, with threats towards undersea cables and other infrastructure becoming more likely.

NATO Allied Maritime Command is in charge of Exercise Dynamic Mongoose. Commander Submarine Nato, US Navy Rear Admiral Bret Grabbe, said exercises like this are essential to maintaining NATO’s maritime advantage. He added: “Dynamic Mongoose demonstrates NATO’s ability to operate together in one of the world’s most strategically important maritime regions, reinforcing our commitment to the security of the High North and the North Atlantic. By bringing Allied forces together to train in realistic and demanding anti-submarine warfare scenarios, we ensure our forces remain ready, adaptable, and capable of responding to any challenge beneath the surface.”

Nato said Dynamic Mongoose challenges participating forces to detect, track, and counter underwater threats while operating seamlessly across multinational units, with the exercise showcasing the alliance’s ability to “conduct anti-submarine warfare operations and maintain a decisive edge beneath the surface”. The exercise brings together units, sailors, and aircrew from nine nations, including Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Canada, France, UK, Denmark, Norway, and the US.