Lisbon, April 26, 2026 (Lusa) - NATO is set to conduct a large-scale military exercise in the Mediterranean from Monday to Thursday, and Portugal will be among the contributing nations in an operation led by the Alliance's Naval Striking and Support Forces, headquartered in Oeiras, Portugal.

According to a statement released on Sunday, this marks the second edition of NATO's primary enhanced Vigilance Activity (eVA), known as Neptune Strike 26, taking place between 27 and 30 April, “[including] contributions from Albania, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Portugal, Romania, Turkey and the United Kingdom”.

“Led by NATO's Naval Striking and Support Forces (STRIKFORNATO), headquartered in Oeiras, Portugal, the eVA will combine the maritime strike capabilities of the French Navy’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier strike group, operating in the Mediterranean, with land forces along NATO’s southern and south-eastern flanks,” the statement said.

There will also be participation by "NATO RQ-4D unmanned aerial vehicles belonging to the NATO Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Force (NISRF), based in Sigonella, Italy", with the support of which "the tactical air assets of the strike groups will carry out missions from the Mediterranean, across continental Europe, to the Black Sea region".

"These missions will involve engaging targets at firing ranges in Latvia, demonstrating NATO’s long-range strike capabilities and the Alliance’s interoperability in the air, land and sea domains," the statement added.

The statement said that the Neptune Strike series of exercises was designed in 2020 and consisted of long-term defensive activities adaptable to current developments and fully in accordance with international law, adding that these exercises demonstrated NATO’s capacity to rapidly integrate multinational naval and strike forces.

IEL/MYAL // ADB.

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