The navies of Nato allied and partner nations have deployed their aircraft carriers to carry out various maritime drills, demonstrating the alliance’s unity and resolve.

Currently underway, the manoeuvres are being held in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea region. It is scheduled to be conducted throughout this month.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

The exercise aims to showcase the collective defence of the alliance forces and involves the participation of thousands of personnel, warships, aircraft, and carrier strike groups.

Aircraft carriers deployed to serve this mission are the UK Royal Navy’s (RN) HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Italian Navy’s ITS Cavour, the French Navy’s FS Charles de Gaulle, and the US Navy’s USS George H W Bush and USS Gerald R Ford.

The RN’s aircraft carrier along with F-35 stealth fighter aircraft have recently departed from Portsmouth to undertake operations in the North Sea.

The US Navy’s George H W Bush is operating in the Adriatic waters and the aircraft aboard have conducted deterrence patrols over Poland and Lithuania.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Gerald R Ford is on a short visit to Portsmouth in Stokes Bay, Gosport. The warship’s arrival in the UK precedes its last deployment alongside Spain, Denmark, Canada, France, the Netherlands and Germany.

The other two ships, Cavour and Charles de Gaulle, are operating in the Mediterranean region.

As part of the month-long deployment, all the participating assets and forces are carrying out several training operations, including deck-to-deck aircraft transfers, at-sea replenishment missions as well as anti-submarine and air warfare drills.

Nato spokesperson Oana Lungescu said: “The deployments demonstrate our ability to project power across alliance and to rapidly reinforce allies set against context of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

“These carriers deliver deterrence, and they help keep our sea lines of communication open.”

Naval Technology Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Naval Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Virtualitics has secured the Innovation and Business Expansion awards for its Integrated Readiness Optimization (IRO) suite. Discover how its explainable AI is transforming maintenance, sustainment and mission readiness, giving defence leaders faster, clearer, and more confident operational decisions.

Discover the Impact