"Britain warfighting ready" as powerful HMS Prince of Wales will lead key Arctic Strike Carrier Group deployment to tackle Russian threat

Known as ‘Operation Firecrest’ it will include world-class Royal Navy warships and RAF fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets to bolster defence and security in the area at a time of rising Russian threats in the region.

The British warships will patrol the Arctic, Keir Starmer has said, following threats made by US president Donald Trump's to annex Greenland citing concerns about its security, with Russia’s military activity in the North Atlantic increasing. Over the past two years, there has been a 30 per cent increase in Russian navy vessels threatening UK waters, the government has said.

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 which only returned home to Portsmouth at the end of November last year after her Indo-Pacific deployment.

Watch the video embedded in this story to re-live the moment she was welcomed home

The Prime Minister announced the news at the Munich Security Conference, saying: "I can announce today that the UK will deploy our carrier strike group to the North Atlantic and the High North this year, led by HMS Prince of Wales, operating alongside the US, Canada and other Nato allies in a powerful show of our commitment to Euro-Atlantic security."

The deployment will include activity under NATO’s Arctic Sentry mission, launched this week, which the government has said will strengthen the Alliance’s security in a region where melting sea ice is opening new routes and increasing threat from hostile state activity.

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With growing concern over Russian operations in the Greenland-Iceland-UK gap and the increased risk to critical undersea cables and pipelines, the government said the deployment will send a clear message that the UK will always defend its waters, protect critical infrastructure, and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with its Allies.

Defence Secretary John Healey MP said: “I’m proud that we’re stepping up UK leadership on High North and Atlantic security.

“This deployment will help make Britain warfighting ready, boost our contribution to NATO, and strengthen our operations with key allies, keeping the UK secure at home and strong abroad.”

What we know so far

• UK to deploy Carrier Strike Group to the North Atlantic and High North in 2026 in a major boost for regional security.
• Powerful show of force with Royal Navy warships, F-35 jets and helicopters to deter Russian aggression and protect vital undersea infrastructure.
• Deployment will include major exercises alongside US, Canadian, and Northern European allies.

The government has said 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 the Portsmouth-based Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon acting as the command ship of the NATO maritime group throughout 2026.

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The UK carrier strike group is expected to include one aircraft carrier (HMS Prince of Wales); 40 aircraft; one frigate; one destroyer; one submarine; and one supply ship

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, building on the UK’s growing defence cooperation in the High North and reaffirming the strength of the historic UK–US defence relationship.

The government has said this reinforces the UK’s commitment to High North security and builds on the Defence Secretary’s commitment to double the number of UK troops deployed to Norway, from 1,000 to 2,000.

It also said this reaffirms the government’s commitment to stepping up on defence. The UK has committed to the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War – hitting 2.6 per cent of GDP from 2027 – with some investment spent on making improvements at HMNB Portsmouth.

The deployment follows the success of the UK’s 2025 Carrier Strike Group mission to the Indo-Pacific, which saw over 1,000 F-35 sorties and activity with over 30 nations, and resulted in the UK’s Carrier Strike Group being certified fully ‘mission ready’ and committed to NATO.

This was also led by HMS Prince of Wales which took the place of HMS Queen Elizabeth which suffered a last-minute mechanical issue in her starboard propeller shaft coupling . She is still in Rosyth for a seven-month maintenance overhaul that began in July 2025 and is due to be completed soon.