Britain Sends The Largest Warship Fleet To The Pacific Region, Led By The Aircraft Carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth

British military helicopter takes off from the HMS Queen Elizabeth. (Wikimedia Commons / LPhot Dan Rosenbaum / MOD)

JAKARTA - Britain plans to launch the largest naval fleet in recent years, for a long mission through the Pacific region.

With an announcement made by the Ministry of Defense on Monday 26 April, Britain wants to showcase the active role of its naval influence and strength.

"When our Carrier Strike Group (CSG) sails next month, it will fly the flag for Global Britain, project our influence, signify our strength, engage with our friends and reaffirm our commitment to tackling the security challenges of today and tomorrow," British Defense Minister Ben Wallace, launched CNN, Tuesday, April 27.

"Britain is not stepping back, but is sailing to play an active role in shaping the international system of the 21st century," continued Wallace.

Aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth with other warships. (Wikimedia Commons / LPhot Kyle Heller / MOD)

The warship fleet will be led by the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, marking its maiden deployment. The ship, one of Britain's two aircraft carriers, was the largest warship Britain had ever sent out to sea.

Accompanying the aircraft carrier, Britain also dispatched two destroyers, two anti-submarine frigates, one submarine and two supply ships for logistics.

Not only that, a missile destroyer under the control of the United States Navy and a Dutch frigate that will be assigned to air defense, also sailed in this group of warships, "said the Ministry of Defense.

Air power in the group will be concentrated on British RAF F-35B and United States Marine Corps F-35B stealth fighters, all of which will fly off the deck of the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.

This combined air power group will be the largest in the British warship group, since HMS Hermes in 1983. It will also be the largest collaborative air group for fifth-generation combat aircraft in the world.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said Britain's carrier strike group would be the most capable fleet deployed by a European navy in recent years.

"While it won't emulate the United States Navy's aircraft carrier strike group, it will probably be closer to it than anything at present than any other navy," IISS said.

The aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth was escorted by two warships. (Wikimedia Commons)

Last March, Britain named the Indo-Pacific region as one of the trends in its military and foreign policy review. In yesterday's announcement, it was stated that the warship group's mission was to increase Britain's security role in the Indo-Pacific region.

Britain also plans to hold joint military exercises with India, Japan and South Korea and US troops in the region. In addition, a joint exercise of the 'Five Powers Defense Agreement' is also planned, between the UK, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, marking the 50th anniversary of this defense pact.

As part of a trip to the Pacific, the group will visit 40 countries, passing through the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean en route to the Pacific, covering a distance of nearly 30,000 miles (48,280 kilometers), the ministry said.

The UK has yet to release the exact route of the warship group, but it is planned for Singapore, Japan and South Korea. Additionally, the group is expected to pass through the eastern part of Taiwan, a self-governing island claimed by China.

Not a coincidence, this will get attention from China, which has recently warmed the South China Sea region. In its defense review, Britain also mentioned the name of the Bamboo Curtain country and the challenges it poses.

"China's rising power and international assertiveness will likely be the most significant geopolitical factors in the 2020s," said the review, describing Beijing as the biggest country-based threat to Britain's economic security.

"The most significant deployment in a quarter century, is a visible demonstration of the rise of the Royal Navy, after decades of contraction," Commodore Steve Moorhouse, commander of the attack group, said in a statement.