The UK’s largest warship HMS Queen Elizabeth and its strike task group will enter the Indian Ocean to carry out a mega wargame with the Indian Navy as the aircraft carrier began a 40-nation tour aimed at demonstrating Britain’s commitment for an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the deployment of the carrier strike group marks the start of “a new era of defence cooperation with allies in India and the Indo-Pacific.”
Britain has described the maiden voyage of HMS Queen Elizabeth and its task group as the country’s most ambitious naval deployment for two decades, and the warships will also sail to the South China Sea for military drills with the US Navy and Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force.
UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab said: “By visiting 40 countries and working alongside our partners, the UK is standing up for democratic values, seizing new trading opportunities and tackling the shared threats we face together.”
“This deployment will provide tangible reassurance and security to the UK’s friends and a credible deterrence to those who seek to undermine global security,” the British high commission said in a statement.
