Exercise Lion Protector 26 (Joint Expeditionary Force)
Lion Protector 26 was a UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force exercise series across the North Atlantic, High North and Baltic Sea. It opened in August with the Baltic Express escort rehearsal, led by Denmark, to protect the sea movement of forces to Latvia. Royal Marines later trained with Danish troops in the Faroe Islands, doing amphibious landings and interception drills. This was the first exercise there since the Second World War. The Royal Marines deployment was the UK Commando Force's main Allied Reaction Force Special Operations Maritime Task Group deployment of 2026. The 3 August and 12 October dates come from a secondary calendar source, not from the MoD or Royal Navy.
- Where
- North Atlantic, Baltic Sea, Danish Straits, Iceland, Faroe Islands and High North
- When
- 3 Aug 2026 to 12 Oct 2026
- Units
- Royal Marines / UK Commando Force; JEF Operational Headquarters (Standing Joint Force Headquarters)
- With
- Denmark, Latvia, Netherlands, Nordic and Baltic JEF nations
- Last checked
- 4 Nov 2026
Sources
- UK leads major Joint Expeditionary Force Exercise as defence ministers meet in Iceland JEF Nations, 6 Oct 2026
- LION PROTECTOR 26 launches with multinational 'Ro-Ro' escort rehearsal in the Baltic Sea JEF Nations, 12 Aug 2026
- 'Credible deterrence': Royal Marines join allies for large-scale ops - Russia actions The News (Portsmouth)
- NATO Exercises 2026: The Complete Guide to Allied Readiness Grosswald
