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HMCS St. John's departs for Operation REASSURANCE

National Defence

News release

July 13, 2025 - Ottawa, ON - National Defence / Canadian Armed Forces

Today, His Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) St. John's departed Halifax to begin its deployment on Operation REASSURANCE, where it will join Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) as part of Canada's continuing contribution to NATO's collective defence in European waters, until December 2025.

By maintaining a continual presence in the Eastern and Central Mediterranean Sea, SNMG2 will continue to uphold freedom of navigation, secure vital sea lines of communication, and maintain a credible and coherent posture of deterrence, in close coordination with our Allies.

SNMG2 is also a core part of the maritime component of the NATO Response Allied Reaction Force and provides a continuous maritime capability to execute NATO missions, demonstrating solidarity and strengthening interoperability between Allied naval forces.

The deployment of HMCS St. John's reflects Canada's commitment to strengthening international alliances and highlights the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN)'s ability to project professional, capable, and high readiness forces around the globe.

Quotes

"The deployment of His Majesty's Canadian Ship St. John's is a demonstration of Canada's unwavering commitment to maintaining peace in Europe. Since the inception of Operation REASSURANCE, Maritime Forces Atlantic has consistently delivered multi-mission capable assets in support of NATO's defence posture. This deployment is more than another rotation, it is a signal by Canada that we stand together with our allies and partners to protect a principled and peaceful international order"

- Rear-Admiral Josée Kurtz, Commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic and Joint Task Force Atlantic

"The crew of His Majesty's Canadian Ship St. John's have dedicated countless hours of their professional lives in preparation for this deployment. Having seen their progress each step of the way on the road to high readiness, I have full confidence in their ability to carry out our mission abroad."

- Commander Jeffrey Anderson, Commanding Officer, HMCS St. John's

Quick facts

• A total of three RCN ships are currently deployed on Operation REASSURANCE. On July 7, 2025, HMCS Edmonton and HMCS Yellowknife also deployed to support Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One. From July to October 2025, the ships will operate in European waters, advancing NATO's maritime security and mine countermeasure operations.

• Halifax-class frigates are multi-role platforms that excel in anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare in open ocean environments. The combination of these capabilities and advanced sensor systems, coupled with state-of-the-art damage control and machinery control systems, continue to make these frigates highly capable warships.

• Operation REASSURANCE is Canada's largest overseas military operation, supporting NATO's deterrence and defence measures in Central and Eastern Europe since 2014.

• Canada has deployed RCN ships to NATO's Standing Naval Forces on a rotational basis for over a decade, reinforcing its role as a reliable and capable Ally.