British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace announced April 26 that Britain’s HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group will depart for its first international deployment to the Indo-Pacific region next month. “Our carrier strike group will send a signal to our allies and adversaries that Britain will continue to play its part in shaping the international system,” he told the House of Commons of the British Parliament. Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi later tweeted that he welcomed the visit of the HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group to Japan.
According to the British Foreign Secretary (Dominic Raab), who tweeted in response, “‘HMS Queen Elizabeth’ will depart next month for visits to India, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. Britain is committed to working with our partners in the Indo-Pacific to defend democratic values, tackle common threats and keep our countries safe.” It is said to be the first global deployment of a strike group led by the 65,000-ton HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier and is one of the British government’s practical initiatives following the release of the latest Diplomatic Defense Review last month.
The fleet will consist of the carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and two Type 45 destroyers, HMS Defender and HMS Diamond. HMS Diamond, two Type 23 frigates, HMS Kent and HMS Richmond, and two support ships, HMS Fort Victoria “(RFAFort Victoria, A387) and the fleet oil and water supply ship RFATidespring (A136), plus an aircraft-sensitive class attack submarine, and eight F-35B fighters and 10 U.S. aircraft on board the carrier. -35B fighter jets and 10 U.S. Marine Corps F-35s on board the carrier. In addition, the U.S. Navy’s Burke class Aegis destroyer USS Sullivan and the Dutch frigate USS Everson will join the strike group in the deployment. It is said that this is the largest fleet assembled by the British Navy since the 1982 Isle of Man war.
According to Sky News and Independent Television (ITV), during the 28-week deployment, the HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier battle group will sail more than 26,000 nautical miles from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, from the Gulf of Aden to the Arabian Sea, and from the Indian Ocean to the Philippine Sea. During the period, the ships of the battle group are expected to visit more than 40 countries and participate in more than 70 missions, such as sailing with the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Mediterranean Sea and conducting a series of exercises with the Indian army in the Indian Ocean.
Wallace told lawmakers in a speech to Parliament on Monday that the carrier group will operate “more often than not” in the eastern Mediterranean or the Atlantic Ocean during the deployment. Wallace stressed that the deployment is “assertive, but not confrontational. Wallace said the focus is on “strengthening our political ties to the region” through visits to Japan, South Korea, Singapore and India.
Wallace noted that while the carrier strike group will be involved in air exercises and operations, “crucially these activities will provide excellent opportunities for the UK to develop new and existing trade and political links. Earlier, British media reported that the HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier’s route through the South China Sea would avoid the Taiwan Strait, skirting the eastern side of Taiwan as it sails north from Singapore to Japan. Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the House of Commons defense committee, told the Daily Telegraph that he was concerned that the “stated intent” of the voyage might be weakened by “fear of offence.
However, according to Wallace himself, the last time British warships deployed to the Pacific was seven years ago, and the last time a British carrier strike group entered the region was 20 years ago. “We have to show anyone who wants to challenge our rules-based international system that international law must be upheld,” he said. Wallace suggested that “friendship is something our adversaries lack, and when we show unity, we send a powerful message of strength. That’s why in recent years we’ve started to return to the East.”
For Japan, Nobu Kishi said via Twitter, “The British carrier strike group will be escorted by a frigate from the Royal Netherlands Navy. We welcome this call to Japan as a further development in the relationship between Japan and the Netherlands, and we will work closely with the Netherlands to ensure it contributes to the Free and Open Indo-Pacific Vision (FOIP).” He said, “I would like to welcome the visit to Japan of the British aircraft carrier strike group led by the aircraft carrier ‘HMS Queen Elizabeth’.” He added, “This symbolizes a ‘new phase’ in the relationship between Japan and the UK, which has a long history and tradition. In order to maintain and enhance a free and open Indo-Pacific, we will continue to work closely with the UK, including through joint exercises.”
Recent Comments