​Reykjavik (Iceland), 24 June 2026 – On the occasion of the commencement of Task Force X-Arctic (TFX-Arctic) operational activities, NRV Alliance welcomed aboard today, during her operational stop in the Port of Reykjavik, senior representatives from Icelandic institutions and NATO.

The delegation was led by Jonas G. Allansson, Chief of Defence of Iceland, accompanied by Ragnar Ingibergsson, Director of Operations and representative of the Directorate of Defence of the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Major General Arnoud Stallmann, Assistant Chief of Staff (ACOS) Multi-Domain Capabilities at NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT) and General Officer of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, and Dr. Eric Pouliquen, Director of the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE).

During the visit, Iceland's Chief of Defence, Jonas G. Allansson, highlighted that “The challenges of the North Atlantic, Arctic, and High North, cannot be solved by any nation alone. The mission is a powerful example of Allied cooperation, cohesion, and collective commitment."

Welcomed by the Commanding Officer of NRV Alliance, Commander Stefano Febbraro, the distinguished guests toured the ship and met with Italian Navy personnel, the CMRE scientific team, and representatives from the partner organizations participating in the campaign. During the visit, they were briefed on the activities scheduled to take place over the coming weeks in Icelandic waters, where NRV Alliance will serve as the primary platform for the testing and integration of unmanned systems and emerging technologies aimed at enhancing NATO's Maritime Domain Awareness in the Arctic and High North region.

Task Force X-Arctic represents one of NATO's most innovative initiatives in the field of emerging and disruptive technologies applied to the maritime domain. Developed within the framework of the NATO's Rapid Adoption Action Plan and conducted in support of broader Enhanced Vigilance Activity “Arctic Sentry", the initiative seeks to demonstrate the integrated employment of autonomous and unmanned systems to improve Maritime Domain Awareness across the Arctic and High North.

The visit underscored the strong interest of Allied nations in a project at the forefront of developing NATO's future operational capabilities. In this context, NRV Alliance continues to represent a unique asset for both the Italian Navy and the NATO, contributing through her crew, scientific personnel, and advanced capabilities to maritime research, technological innovation, and security in one of the world's most strategically significant regions