The Steadfast Dart 26 exercise begins at the Rota naval base

• The commander of the Headquarters Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (HQ JFCBS), accompanied by Spanish Vice Admiral Juan Bautista Pérez Puig, presents the exercise from the ship “Castilla”

From the Amphibious Assault Ship “Castilla” at the Rota naval base, the commander of the Headquarters Allied Joint Force Command (HQ JFC) in Brunssum, German Lieutenant General Ingo Gerharzt, accompanied by the Commander Spanish Maritime Forces Headquarters, SPMARFOR, Vice Admiral Juan Bautista Pérez Puig, today announced the start of NATO's most important annual exercise, “Steadfast Dart 2026”.

The HQ JFC commander has stated that ‘the Allied Rapid Reaction Force is ready to respond to any crisis or potential attack within a few days across the entire NATO territory’. The NATO Command in Central Europe is not only responsible for conducting exercises, but also for defending the Alliance's territory from the Atlantic coast to the Baltic Sea. In this regard, Brunssum (Netherlands), Naples (Italy) and Norfolk (United States) are the three NATO Joint Forces Commands (JFCs) at the operational level that work together to ensure security throughout Europe and the Atlantic. Each one is responsible for a specific geographical area.

For its part, SPMARFOR has stated that "the naval force provides the Alliance with unique freedom of manoeuvre by generating effects both at sea and from the sea. Its presence deters, protects and enables rapid response over long distances, making it one of NATO's most reliable military assets. In this deployment, we will work closely with allied land, air, special operations and cyber forces, as well as with the host country, Germany, to ensure the full integration of all joint forces."

In this training activity, the Amphibious Assault Ship Castilla will serve as the flagship and carry on board the Standing Maritime Force (SPMARFOR), that is designed to direct complex NATO naval operations.

Steadfast Dart 26 Exercise

The Steadfast Dart 26 exercise is part of NATO's regular Rapid Reaction Force (ARF) training. In 2026, it will take place in Germany. Around 10,000 military personnel from 11 countries including ARF units from Italy, Greece, Germany, the Czech Republic, Spain, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Turkey, with additional support from France, Estonia, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium and the United Kingdom will take part in NATO's most visible and important exercise in 2026.

The main objective of Steadfast Dart 26 is to showcase the ability to rapidly deploy and converge in time and space with the rest of the ARF forces. This is a multi-domain activity that will demonstrate the operational and strategic capabilities of NATO forces and other participating units, integrating land, air, space, cyber, maritime and special operations forces.

The exercise consists of two main phases: deployment and training. For the first phase, the approximately 1,500 military personnel from the Spanish Armed Forces participating in the exercise, organised into units from the Land, Maritime and Space Operations Commands, have already begun their progressive projection and deployment by sea, land and air to Germany.