Inside Strike Warrior 26: British Commandos launch from German submarine off Scotland

British Commandos have deployed from a German Navy submarine during Exercise Strike Warrior 2026, one of NATO’s largest maritime exercises this year. The operation combined submarine support, covert insertion and naval gunfire in a single mission.

Taking place off Cape Wrath on 29 September, personnel from 148 (‘Meiktila’) Commando Forward Observation Battery launched from the Type 212A submarine U-36 (S186) and came ashore in inflatable raiding boats.

This amphibious mission was performed as part of the wider SW26 – held from 28 September to 9 October – and forms part of the largest collective test of the UK Commando Force in 15 years.

In all, SW26 has brought together more than 2,000 personnel from the UK, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the US to conduct operations across Scotland, the North Sea and the North-West Approaches.

During the drill, the German ‘U-boat’ provided intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) support before the Commandos were launched to establish an observation post on Cape Wrath that overlooked the exercise area.

From there, the team directed live naval gunfire from the Portuguese Navy’s Bartolomeu Dias-class multi-purpose frigate, NRP Dom Francisco de Almeida (F334), against designated ‘enemy’ positions.

The operation demonstrated how specialist forces and maritime platforms from several NATO nations can be integrated to deliver critical lethal effects across both the land and maritime domains.

British Commandos emerge from the deep for live-fire drill off Scotland

While linking up with the German submarine during the drill, the participating Commandos conducted float-on and float-off drills with the vessel using their inflatable raiding boats.

The team then launched from the submarine to conduct their tactical amphibious beach landing and reconnaissance mission. Once ashore, the team established an observation post before coordinating a naval strike and subsequently extracting back towards the submarine.

The operation officer for 148 Battery – who cannot be named for operational security (OPSEC) reasons – said the scale of the drill represented a significant step forward for the unit. “This level of complexity and coordination of live assets has not been achieved by 148 Battery for nearly 30 years…

“We wanted to demonstrate to our partners across the [UK] Commando Force, wider UK Defence and NATO Special Operations Force community the type of missions we are prepared to execute against future threats,” he added.

The drill highlights the wider role of the UK Commando Force, which brings together Royal Marines and specialist British Army and Royal Navy personnel.

SW26 has been designed to rehearse allied crisis-response operations in the High North and North Atlantic, where the ability to operate from the sea and rapidly establish effects ashore is becoming increasingly more important.

SW26 provides key platform to trial NATO’s multi-domain warfighting capabilities

British Commandos launching an amphibious landing operation from a German submarine was just one element of the wider SW26, with the drill involving eight warships and 19 aircraft in total. Other activities carried out during the drill have focused on amphibious operations, boarding missions, ISR, logistics, maritime security and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations.

Earlier in the exercise, Commandos from 148 Battery worked with the Royal Netherlands Navy’s Karel Doorman-class multi-purpose frigate, HNLMS Van Amstel (F831), and the Royal Canadian Navy-operated Halifax-class multi-role patrol frigate, HMCS St John’s (FFH-340), to direct naval gunfire against simulated exercise targets from land-based observation posts.

The multinational approach of the Strike Warrior drill series reflects the exercise’s focus on integrating specialist capabilities rather than testing individual platforms in isolation.

“Warfighting is our focus, and we are prepared to employ specialist assets to deliver multi-domain fires and targeting,” the 148 Battery operation officer said.

SW26 began on 28 September and will conclude on 9 October. In the meantime, the drill will continue to provide a major test of the UK Commando Force’s ability to operate alongside NATO partners in the demanding environments of the High North, North Atlantic and North Sea.