Charlottetown has also been deployed on missions throughout the Atlantic and to the Indian Ocean, specifically the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea on anti-terrorism operations.

[5][6] To reflect the changing long term strategy of the Navy during the 1980s and 1990s, the Halifax-class frigates was designed as a general purpose warship with particular focus on anti-submarine capabilities.

[7] As built the Halifax-class vessels deployed the CH-124 Sea King helicopter, which acted in concert with shipboard sensors to seek out and destroy submarines at long distances from the ships.

[7] As built, the anti-shipping role is supported by the RGM-84 Harpoon Block 1C surface-to-surface missile, mounted in two quadruple launch tubes at the main deck level between the funnel and the helicopter hangar.

[5][7] For anti-aircraft self-defence the ships are armed with the Sea Sparrow vertical launch surface-to-air missile in two Mk 48 Mod 0 eight-cell launchers placed to port and starboard of the funnel.

[7] A Raytheon/General Dynamics Phalanx Mark 15 Mod 21 Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) is mounted on top of the helicopter hangar for "last-ditch" defence against targets that evade the Sea Sparrow.

Further improvements, such as modifying the vessel to accommodate the new Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone helicopter and satellite links will be done separately from the main Frigate Equipment Life Extension (FELEX) program.

The vessel was launched on 1 October 1994 and commissioned into the Canadian Forces on 9 September 1995 at Charlottetown, carrying the hull classification symbol FFH 339.

[10] In January 2001, Charlottetown sailed to the Persian Gulf to join the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Battle Group, enforcing sanctions against Iraq.

[10] Following Canada's entry into the War in Afghanistan, Charlottetown was part of the initial naval task force sent to the Arabian Sea.

Composed of Iroquois, Charlottetown and Preserver, the task force sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia on 17 October 2001 arrived in theatre on 20 November.

[11][12] Charlottetown was incorporated into a US amphibious ready group escorting United States Marine Corps troop transports near Pakistan.

[13] On 2 March 2011, Charlottetown left its home port of Halifax to join the NATO-led air-sea Operation Unified Protector during the 2011 Libyan civil war.

[20] Charlottetown transited the Suez Canal on 23 April 2012 to join Combined Task Force 150, conducting counter-terrorism operations in the Arabian Sea.

[30][31] In August, Charlottetown and HMCS Kingston departed Halifax to take part in Operation Nanook, travelling to Iqaluit, Nunavut and Nuuk, Greenland.

[33] After returning from Steadfast Defender, the frigate departed in June to become the flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) in the Mediterranean Sea.