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At least ten warships are currently at sea around the UK as Britain’s armed forces gear up a significant global deployment – and NATO allies ramp up their presence as tensions with Russia continue to escalate.
The UK’s Royal Navy Carrier Strike Group is undertaking critical preparations, and one elite unit has been in action for the first time since the Falklands conflict.
A second carrier strike group is also going through British waters as NATO partners confirm their combat readiness.
It comes as a third aircraft carrier returns to sea after completing major repair work.
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales has been off the coast of Scotland in the North Sea, at the heart of the Carrier Strike Group, for Exercise Strike Warrior.
The exercise is a military drill to confirm that the task force is ready for operations.
Meanwhile, her sister ship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, left HMNB Portsmouth yesterday afternoon for routine sea trials and training. The £3bn ship was only launched in 2017, but it already needs extensive repairs and capability upgrades, completed at Rosyth earlier this year.
The other huge aircraft carrier off Britain’s coast is the USS Harry S. Truman. Its Carrier Strike Group recently made its way through the Strait of Dover into the North Sea to participate in exercises with NATO Allies and regional partners.
The USS Harry S. Truman is accompanied by the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) and USS Stout (DDG 55) and the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64).
Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander of the US Fleet Forces Command, said, “The Truman Carrier Strike Group will contribute to the ongoing training and combat readiness of our naval forces.
“The operational experience gained through these deployments is invaluable for maintaining a deep bench of skilled warfighters with trust and confidence in their system’s reliability, adaptability, and lethality in a rapidly changing security environment.”
The Italian Navy Carlo Bergamini-class frigate ITS Carabiniere (F 593) is expected to join the strike group and support operations and exercises during portions of the deployment. The US Navy said the strike group’s transit is key in reinforcing the long-standing strategic relationships between the United States and its European partners.
The UK’s HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group is preparing for a major deployment next year, sending British warships, support vessels and jets worldwide. It will be the first mission of its kind since HMS Queen Elizabeth led a 49,000-mile mission to Japan and back in 2021.
In preparation for Carrier Strike Group 25 deployment, F-35B Lightning jets, frigates, destroyers, submarines, Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers, and helicopters gathered in the North Sea to test their ability to carry out operations seamlessly together.
Other warships in the strike group include Type 23 Frigates HMS Portland and HMS Iron Duke, Type 45 Destroyer HMS Dauntless and an un-named Astute-class submarine, which will protect the aircraft carrier from a range of threats.
The training has been supported by the RAF, which has provided aircraft to support anti-submarine operations – to test the air defence capability of the task group.
Commodore James Blackmore, Commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group, said: “The UK’s Carrier Strike Group is the 1* battle staff that commands the fleet embarked on HMS Prince of Wales. I have command of highly capable assets and personnel, which provide a powerful capability across all domains from anti-air to cyber.”
Commodore Blackmore continued: “This exercise is important because it will validate my team as a ‘Very High Readiness’ force, which means we can be ready to command a fleet with a few days’ notice. This is all in preparation for next year’s exercise which will see us traverse the globe to achieve.”
“Exercise Strike Warrior is an important milestone for 809 NAS, being the Squadron’s first return to sea since the Falklands conflict and an important stepping stone in developing our Initial Operational Capability.”
Originally formed in 1941, the 809 Naval Air Squadron was resurrected as the first Royal Navy formation to fly the new F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. The Royal Navy says the 809 “represent the cutting edge of the UK’s military power”.
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