The UK Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group has departed on an eight-month deployment to “maintain security and freedom from the Atlantic to the Pacific.”
The mission, Operation Highmast, includes the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales and air defense destroyer HMS Dauntless with 1,600 navy personnel.
The ships will set sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific until December, conducting a series of exercises with naval allies from the Mediterranean, Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
Operation commander commodore James Blackmore said the mission will reaffirm that the UK is secure at home and strong abroad and is ready to participate in multilateral drills to help maintain safety in its allies’ regions.
“Working closely with partners from across the globe, Operation Highmast will demonstrate credible deterrence and our support to NATO and the rules-based international order,” he shared.
The strike group conducted its first deployment in 2021, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth.
Collaborating With Allies
Aside from promoting international security, the mission will also reaffirm the UK’s commitment to NATO and its peacekeeping efforts.
The UK will conduct its first exercise with France, testing the nations’ aerial defense capabilities before collaborating with a carrier force led by the Italian Armed Forces. It will then set sail on the Red Sea heading west.
The group will then be joined by fleets from Norway, Canada, and Spain, rounding out to about 4,500 personnel by the time the group arrives in the Indo-Pacific.
