Operation NEON

Operation NEON is Canada’s contribution to a coordinated multinational effort to support the implementation of United Nations Security Council sanctions imposed against North Korea.

Adopted in a series of United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) between 2006 and 2017, the sanctions aim to pressure North Korea to abandon its weapons of mass destruction programs by significantly limiting North Korea’s ability to finance the development of its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs through economic isolation and maritime interdiction measures.

Operation NEON demonstrates the importance that Canada places on supporting security efforts based on international law, by upholding the UNSC Resolutions in the Indo-Pacific region. It further demonstrates Canada’s resolve in standing with allies and partners in promoting international peace and stability, in accordance with Canadian values.

How many people are deployed?

The number of deployed personnel varies throughout the year depending on current activities within the Indo-Pacific region. Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members are periodically deployed on Canadian warships and on CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft, under Operation NEON, alongside partner countries including Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

What are they doing?

Since 2018, Canada periodically deploys warships, aircraft, and personnel to strengthen maritime interdiction measures through surveillance operations. This includes identifying suspected maritime sanctions evasion activities, in particular ship-to-ship transfers of fuel and other commodities banned by the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR). Working with allies and partners in the region, the Canadian Armed Forces contribution through Op NEON bolsters the integrity of the global sanctions imposed against North Korea.

History and context of the operation

In May 2018, a CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft was deployed under Operation PROJECTION - Asia-Pacific to support surveillance and monitoring activities with partners to counter North Korea’s evasion of United Nations Security Council sanctions through maritime smuggling by identifying those who violate sanctions, sharing the information with implicated countries, and the UN Panel of Experts. This was followed by a deployment of HMCS Calgary and a CP-140 Aurora in October 2018.

In June 2019, the Government of Canada announced that Canada was renewing its contribution to the multinational surveillance initiative, for a two-year timeframe, by deploying Canadian Armed Forces ships and maritime patrol aircraft under Operation NEON to counter North Korea’s maritime sanctions evasion.

The Government of Canada renewed the mandate once again on April 23, 2021, for a further two years, ensuring Canada’s continued contribution to security in the Indo-Pacific region into 2023. In March 2023, the Government of Canada again renewed the mission, this time until April 2026.

Past deployments

September-November 2025 – HMCS Max Bernays^{Footnote 1}
September-October 2025 – CP-140 Aurora deployed
April-May 2025 – CP-140 Aurora deployed
December 2024 to February 2025 – HMCS Ottawa
November 2024 – HMCS Vancouver
September-October 2024 – CP-140 Aurora deployed
June-July 2024 – HMCS Montréal
May-June 2024 – CP-140 Aurora deployed
September-November 2023 – HMCS Vancouver deployed with a CP-140 Aurora
April-May 2023 – CP-140 Aurora deployed
September 2022 – HMCS Vancouver deployed with a CP-140 Aurora
April 2022 – CP-140 Auroras deployed
August 2021 – HMCS Winnipeg deployed with a CP-140 Aurora
October 2020 – HMCS Winnipeg deployed with a CP-140 Aurora
September 2019 – HMCS Ottawa deployed with a CP-140 Aurora
June 2019 – HMCS Regina and Naval Replenishment Unit (NRU) Asterix deployed with a CP-140 Aurora