The Royal Navy’s carrier strike group has teamed up with allies in a formidable show of force during an eight-month mission to the Indo-Pacific.
The fleet, as part of Operation Highmast, sailed alongside vessels from South Korea, Japan, Canada, Norway, the United States, and Australia.
This UK-led operation, involving contributions from over a dozen nations, has already navigated through the Mediterranean, the Gulf, and the Indian Ocean, making port calls in Singapore and Australia. However, news of the group’s progress comes as the number of Channel migrant arrivals surges past Army, Navy and RAF combined.
The group is made up of around 4,500 personnel, including 2,500 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines, nearly 600 RAF personnel operating embarked aircraft, and 900 soldiers providing support capabilities.
The mission involves 12 partner nations, covering over 26,000 nautical miles across 40 countries to reinforce partnerships, conduct freedom of navigation operations (FONOPS) in the Indo-Pacific, and showcase the UK’s military capabilities, reports the Express US.
The mission was part of a large-scale exercise that brought together four battle groups, with USS George Washington’s Carrier Strike Group Five, USMC Amphibious Ready Group centred on USS America, Japan’s Kaga Battle Group, and the multinational UK Carrier Strike Group all involved.
Operation Highmast conducts freedom of navigation operations to uphold international law and challenge excessive maritime claims in the busy Indo-Pacific sea lanes.
