The Carrier Strike Group, which set off on its maiden operational deployment in May (2021), has sailed the Atlantic Ocean, through the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean to the Western Pacific – participating in a range of activities with partners and allies enroute.
As part of its maiden operational deployment, the Carrier Strike Group will sail over 26,000 nautical miles, engaging with 40 countries from the Mediterranean to the Indo-Pacific and back again.
The Carrier Strike Group includes ships from the United States Navy, the Dutch Navy, and Marines from the US Marine Corps as well as air assets from 617 Squadron, 820 NAS, 815 NAS and 845 NAS.
Launching from HMS Queen Elizabeth, F-35B Lightning jets took to the skies with the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s F-16 fighters yesterday. Not pictured above is an Astute class submarine.
The Carrier Strike Group was joined in the opening phase of the deployment by HMS Artful (which returned to Gibraltar after completing the opening phase), now another Astute class submarine (HMS Astute or HMS Ambush) has joined the group.
UK Defense Journal / ABC Flash Point News 2021.
