Stirling Castle, purchased in 2023 for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service (RFA), but then decommissioned in 2024 due to a lack of personnel, was taken over by the Royal Navy at the beginning of the year and reactivated in July with a qualified crew under the White Ensign (white naval flag of war). The ship, which still looks quite civilian, completed its first sea voyages as a military mother ship for autonomous mine defence platforms towards the end of October and relocated to Portsmouth. From there, she is to organise the Royal Navy's modern mine defence with autonomous platforms, which were developed in cooperation with Thales/France, together with the newly established Mine and Threat Exploitation Group (MTXG).