The expeditionary battle group ‘Dédalo’ ends its participation in NATO's surveillance activities in the Mediterranean Sea

• The Group has participated in the NATO activities ‘Neptune Strike’ and in the exercise ‘Mare Aperto’

The Expeditionary Battle Group ‘Daedalus’ has participated in NATO's ‘Neptune Strike’ enhanced surveillance activities and, simultaneously, in the Italian Navy's ‘Mare Aperto’ amphibious exercises in Sardinia.

The ‘Juan Carlos I’, with its Harrier aircraft and helicopters; the ‘Galicia’; the frigates ‘Blas de Lezo’ and ‘Reina Sofía’ and the 1^st Landing Battalion of the Tercio de Armada have operated with allied naval, air and land assets, demonstrating their advanced capabilities, especially in air and amphibious missions to project naval power over land.

Among the participants are the Italian aircraft carrier ‘Cavour’ and, for the first time, the French ‘Charles de Gaulle’ and the Turkish ‘Anadolu’, twin of the ‘Juan Carlos I’, with whose aircraft, helicopters and marines, the Harriers, AB-212 helicopters and marines have been integrated.

These ‘Neptune Strike’ activities have been directed from NATO's Naval Striking and Support Forces (STRIKFORNATO) headquarters in Oeiras, Portugal, whose Commander is also the Commander of the US 6th Fleet, Vice Admiral Tom Ishee. For 15 days, the carriers flew all types of coordinated air missions throughout the Mediterranean, to which the aircraft of the ‘Daedalus’ Group dedicated 234 hours of flight time.

As a new feature, on this occasion Admiral Ishee has used the ‘Juan Carlos I’ as command ship for four days, embarking an advanced command element, who has certified the facilities to direct operations from the Spanish ship in case of contingency.

In addition to intensive air activity, Daedalus also contributed to NATO deterrence by leading Allied amphibious operations for three days on the island of Sazan, Albania, and for five days on the island of Sardinia, Italy, together with Italian and Romanian units and special operations teams from North Macedonia and Albania, among others.

This is the third time the Group has taken part in NATO's Neptune Strike drill, demonstrating the Alliance's ease of integrated use of its aircraft carriers and Spain's commitment to strong and credible deterrence as a key element in preventing conflicts

In a few days, the Group will begin the Atlantic phase of its deployment this year, which will take it to participate in the Armed Forces Day in Asturias and then to the Baltic Sea, where it will take part in the BALTOPS 24 drill. In addition to this activity, numerous interactions with the navies and air forces of the countries in the region are also planned.