The Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier strike group’s first “global deployment” will begin in May, when the group will travel to Japan, South Korea, India and Singapore, among other countries. The first “global deployment” of the carrier strike group will begin in May, when it will travel to Japan, South Korea, India and Singapore.
The deployment will also include the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers HMS Defender and HMS Diamond, the Type 23 frigate HMS Kent and the Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Ministry of Defense said Monday (April 26). frigates HMS Kent and HMS Richmond, F-35Bs and other ships and aircraft.
The deployment is expected to last approximately 28 weeks, span 26,000 nautical miles and travel to more than 40 countries.
Air and naval forces from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Greece, Israel, India, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Oman, South Korea, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates will operate alongside the HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier battle group.
The deployment will strengthen defense partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region, where the U.K. is committed to establishing a more enduring defense and security presence, the Ministry of Defense said.
“Engagement with Singapore, South Korea, Japan and India will provide opportunities to strengthen our security relationships, enhance political ties and support the U.K. export and international trade agenda,” the U.K. Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said, “When the carrier battle group sets sail next month, it will fly the flag of ‘Global Britain’ – demonstrating our influence, showing our strength , engage with our friends, and reaffirm our commitment to solving the security challenges of today as well as the future.”
Jamie Shea, a former NATO official, has told Voice of America, “The UK’s military capability to project power in the Asia-Pacific region is key to demonstrating the UK’s strategic relevance to the region. The Royal Navy is in the region as a priority because the ships can be flexibly deployed and are a good way to demonstrate a presence.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson had announced last month that the Indo-Pacific region will be a focus of British defense and foreign policy as the U.K. reconsiders its place in the world order after Brexit.
The importance of the Indo-Pacific to the U.K. was also mentioned in a defense and foreign affairs strategy report, “A Globalized Britain in an Age of Competition,” released by the U.K. government in March.
The report says: “The region is at the center of growing geopolitical competition …… Britain’s trade with Asia relies heavily on shipping lanes that pass through a series of Indo-Pacific choke points (choke points). Maintaining freedom of navigation is therefore vital to the UK’s national interest. We already work closely with our regional partners and will do more through the continued engagement of our military and our wider security capacity building.”
Tensions are currently rising in the Indo-Pacific region. The Chinese Communist Party’s recent frequent activities in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly around Taiwan, have raised even more international concern. In addition to sending a number of military aircraft into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, China also sent a fleet of the aircraft carrier Liaoning to conduct “routine training” in the waters around Taiwan in early April, and in mid-April, the Chinese Maritime Administration announced that it would conduct live-fire drills in the waters southwest of Taiwan.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga issued a joint statement after their meeting this month, in which they exchanged views on the impact of China’s actions on peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and the world at large, emphasizing the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
The statement also mentioned that “the U.S.-Japan alliance is steadfast and we are more prepared than ever to address regional challenges. Our alliance is based on our commitment to universal values and shared principles, and a common vision to promote inclusive economic prosperity and advance a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
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