Keir Starmer has confirmed that the UK will deploy its Carrier Strike Group to the North Atlantic and High North regions later this year, with HMS Prince of Wales set to lead the deployment.
The Prime Minister said the carrier will operate alongside the United States, Canada and other NATO allies, describing the deployment as “a powerful show of our commitment to Euro-Atlantic security.”
The announcement places the Royal Navy’s flagship at the centre of a renewed focus on the High North, a region increasingly framed by NATO as strategically critical amid heightened Russian military activity and competition over Arctic routes and infrastructure.
Starmer also linked the move to wider European deterrence efforts, saying it was part of the UK’s commitment to NATO security. “That is also why we’re enhancing our nuclear cooperation with France,” he said.
He added: “For decades, the United Kingdom has been the only nuclear power in Europe to commit its deterrent to protect all NATO members.”
HMS Prince of Wales, commissioned in 2019, is one of the Royal Navy’s two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers and is capable of operating an air wing of up to 24 F-35B Lightning II aircraft, alongside helicopters such as Merlin, Chinook, Apache and Wildcat. The carrier previously led Operation Highmast, an eight-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific in 2025, including exercises with India and other regional partners, underlining the UK’s ability to operate at range while maintaining NATO-linked commitments.
First Appeared on
Source link
Leave feedback about this