UK aircraft carrier group to deter Russian threats

AFP | Munich

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Britain will deploy its aircraft carrier group to the North Atlantic this year in a “powerful show of force” against Russian threats in the Arctic, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Saturday.

“I can announce today that the UK will deploy our carrier strike group to the North Atlantic and the High North this year, led by HMS Prince of Wales, operating alongside the US, Canada and other NATO allies in a powerful show of our commitment to Euro-Atlantic security,” Starmer told the Munich security conference.

The group will include warships, F-35 jets and helicopters in what has been dubbed “Operation Firecrest,” the ministry of defence said in a statement.

It will be a “powerful show of force ... to deter Russian aggression and protect vital undersea infrastructure”.

HMS Prince of Wales is the Royal Navy’s largest warship and US aircraft are also expected to operate from its deck.

Operation

The operation will involve thousands of personnel from the army, navy and air force, the ministry statement added.

“The deployment will include activity under NATO’s Arctic Sentry mission, launched this week, strengthening the Alliance’s security in a region where melting sea ice is opening new routes and increasing threat from hostile state activity,” the ministry said.

France has also announced that it will deploy its aircraft carrier group in the region in 2026.

Starmer told the Munich conference that Britain must be “ready to fight”.

Aggression

Leaders must not dither as “Russia has proved its appetite for aggression,” he said.

“The road ahead is straight and it is clear. We must build our hard power, because that is the currency of the age,” he added.

“We must be able to deter aggression , and, yes, if necessary, we must be ready to fight.”