A Canadian warship returned to its home port in December 2025 after a five-month deployment where it took part in NATO operations in the Arctic region. The HMCS St. John’s took part in patrols and exercises with NATO allies, including Operation Reassurance, in the North Atlantic and Norwegian Sea. The St. John’s mission reflects Canada’s commitment to defending the NATO alliance and its capability to project force in the maritime domain far from Canadian shores. “The deployment of His Majesty’s Canadian Ship St. John’s reflects Canada’s steadfast commitment to peace and security in Europe. Serving with professionalism and determination, the ship’s company provided vital reassurance of NATO solidarity and readiness. This mission underscores Maritime Forces Atlantic’s ability to deliver multi-mission capable assets abroad. Canada stands firmly with its allies to protect what we believe in,” said Rear-Adm. Josée Kurtz, Commander, Maritime Forces Atlantic, according to a Canadian National Department of Defence news release.
The St. John’s first sailed to the Mediterranean Sea in July to join Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 where it conducted exercises and patrols with NATO allies in the region. The ship’s crew attended World War I Remembrance Day ceremonies at Passchendaele in Belgium, and Beaumont-Hamel and Vimy Ridge in France.
In July, the St. John’s was ordered north into the North Atlantic Ocean and Norwegian Sea to join Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, where it continued to conduct exercises and patrols with NATO partners, a region that has seen an uptick in Russian activity in recent years.
The St. John’s is a Halifax-class frigate designed for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare capable of deploying into open seas and is equipped with advanced sensor systems. The St. John’s has been in service with the Royal Canadian Navy [RCN] since 1996. “Throughout this deployment, His Majesty’s Canadian Ship St. John’s, and its embarked air detachment, have demonstrated Canada’s resolve and commitment to NATO, sailing throughout the Mediterranean with Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 and then into the High North with Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, groups which embody the cohesion and solidarity of the Alliance,” said the St. John’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Jeffery Anderson.
Operation Reassurance is Canada’s largest overseas military operation, supporting NATO’s deterrence and defense in Central and Eastern Europe since 2014. For more than a decade, Canada has deployed RCN ships to NATO’s standing naval forces on a rotational basis, the release stated.