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The United Kingdom will deploy a carrier strike group to the North Atlantic and the Arctic later this year to strengthen security in the region. In a statement, the UK government characterized the move as a “powerful show of force with Royal Navy warships, F-35 jets and helicopters to deter Russian aggression and protect vital undersea infrastructure.”
The statement notes that over the past two years the number of Russian military vessels threatening UK waters has increased by 30%. “With growing concern over Russian operations in the Greenland-Iceland-UK gap and the increased risk to critical undersea cables and pipelines, the deployment will send a clear message that the UK will always defend its waters, protect critical infrastructure, and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with its Allies,” the statement added.
Operation Firecrest will be led by the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, the largest ship in the Royal Navy. The deployment will include large-scale military exercises alongside the United States, Canada, and Northern European allies. The carrier strike group will cross the Atlantic to visit a U.S. port, with American fighter jets among those operating from the deck of HMS Prince of Wales.
The British carrier strike group will also take part in NATO’s Arctic Sentry mission, which launched earlier this week. The mission aims to strengthen Alliance security in a region where melting sea ice is opening new maritime routes, increasing the threat from hostile states. In January, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also announced the launch of the Baltic Sentry mission to protect critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.