The UK-led Carrier Strike Group has successfully demonstrated its
ability to counter maritime threats on its first major exercise
of eight-month global deployment, Operation Highmast.
The task group led by carrier HMS Prince of Wales, and which will
be support by nearly 4000 British personnel across the
deployment, joined the Alliance's Exercise Neptune Strike and
shifted from UK to NATO Command as it transited into the
Mediterranean region.
By rapidly integrating into a wider NATO task group and
successfully proving its ships' defences when tested by strikes
from participating aircraft, the Carrier Strike Group
demonstrated its ability to contribute to NATO missions.
Minister for the Armed Forces said:
“Barely a week into its deployment, the Carrier Strike Group is
already demonstrating both the military power that keeps us safe
at home and our close integration with allies that means we're
strong abroad.
“Over the next eight months, the UK-led task group will further
showcase our global network of partnerships and alliances – none
more crucial to our security than NATO.”
Exercise Neptune Strike forms part of NATO's mission to maintain
security in the Euro-Atlantic area, deterring any aggressor who
would seek to threaten the freedom of navigation that keeps our
public safe and prosperous. The UK is unwavering in our
commitment to NATO, and the collective security of the Alliance.
The UK Carrier Strike Group is multinational by design, with 12
countries participating in the deployment. Ahead of Neptune
Strike, the UK ships were joined by Spanish frigate Méndez Núñez
and Norwegian ships HNoMS Maud and HNoMS Roald Amundsen. On
Neptune Strike they joined Allied forces from Bulgaria, Canada,
France, Greece, Italy, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Turkey
and the United States.
Neptune Strike is the first in a series of NATO activities that
will occur whilst the Carrier Strike Group is in the
Mediterranean and Atlantic, working up to a large-scale exercise
towards the end of Operation Highmast which will see the Group
achieve full operating capability.
At that point, the Group will have sent a powerful message that
the UK and allies stand ready to promote trade and protect the
freedom of navigation which keeps the UK secure at home and
strong abroad.
The Prime Minister reiterated the importance of national security
to the government's Plan for Change when visiting Armed Forces
personnel on board HMS Prince of Wales last month, following the
historic commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP
earlier this year.
24 Royal Air Force F-35B Lightning fighter jets, the programme of
which created 20,000 jobs across the UK, is embarked on board HMS
Prince of Wales. The F-35s are just one part of the HMS Prince of
Wales air wing, which also includes the Royal Navy Merlin and
Wildcat helicopters, supporting 1,000 UK jobs.
