The landing platform dock Castilla and the Frigate Cristobal Colón, together with the Turkish Amphibious Force, set sail from Rota to join NATO's Steadfast Dart 26

•  Spain contributes these naval units to the Allied Reaction Force Component Command, led by the Navy, as well as land and special operations forces, all under the operational control of the Operations Command

The landing platform dock Castilla (L-52) and the Frigate Cristobal Colón, together with the Turkish amphibious force, whose command ship is the Amphibious Assault Ship Anadolu, have set sail from the Rota base in Cadiz to join the Alliance's “Steadfast Dart-26” exercise.

This is the most important operational training activity of the Allied Response Force (ARF) of this year. Its main phase is taking place mainly in Baltic waters and in Germany.

The Castilla is home to the ARF Maritime Component Command Headquarters, led by Spain. From July 2025 to July 2026, the Spanish Maritime Forces Headquarters (SPMARFOR), under the command of Vice Admiral Juan Bautista Pérez Puig, has been designated to act as the NATO ARF Maritime Component Command. This headquarters is part of the Navy Fleet and, during this time, assumes leadership of the allied naval forces to act when and where necessary in the event of a crisis or contingency.

During Steadfast Dart 26, the amphibious assault ship Castilla will be in command of all units participating in the maritime environment: frigates, minesweepers, maritime patrol aircraft, helicopters, unmanned vehicles and the amphibious force. It will therefore be responsible for all operations at sea, as well as for integration with other NATO component commands participating in the exercise.

In addition to contributing to SPMARFOR with the assault ship Castilla and the F100-class frigate Cristobal Colón, Spain will also include the frigate Almirante Juan de Borbón and the logistic ship Patiño in a few days' time. Both ships are part of NATO's Standing Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1), currently led by Spanish Rear Admiral Joaquín Ruiz Escagedo.

Steadfast Dart 26 exercise: participation of the Navy

As part of the regular training of NATO's Allied Reaction Force (ARF), the “Steadfast Dart 26” exercise will take place in Germany. Approximately 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 participate in NATO's most visible and important exercise in 2026. Its main objective is to demonstrate the ability to rapidly deploy and converge in time and space with the rest of the ARF forces.

Around 1,500 members of the Spanish Armed Forces, under the operational control of the Commander of Operations, will participate. They have already begun their gradual deployment by sea, land and air to Germany.

The maritime part will take place in the waters off the German coast of the Baltic  and North Seas. Around 15 ships, both Spanish and from Allied countries, are involved. Amphibious forces, maritime patrol aircraft, helicopters and drones will also participate.

Steadfast Dart 26 represents the largest participation of the Navy in a NATO exercise in 2026, both in terms of scale and level of ambition. It provides an excellent opportunity to enhance training levels, foster interoperability, and increase cohesion among Allied nations. Overall, it constitutes a key activity to ensure the availability of ready, trained, and capable forces able to act whenever and wherever required in response to a crisis or contingency.