The United Kingdom will deploy its aircraft carrier strike group to the North Atlantic this year in what British officials said was a “strong show of force” in response to Russian threats in the Arctic.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said at the Munich Security Conference that Great Britain will deploy an aircraft carrier strike group to the North Atlantic and the High North, led by HMS Prince of Wales, along with forces from the United States, Canada and other NATO allies.
The group will include Royal Navy warships, F-35 Lightning II fighter jets and helicopters as part of an operation dubbed “Operation Firecrest”, the Ministry of Defense said.
According to the British authorities, it is a “strong show of force aimed at deterring Russian aggression and protecting vital undersea infrastructure”.
HMS Prince of Wales is the Royal Navy’s largest warship, and American aircraft are expected to operate from its deck. The operation will involve thousands of members of all three branches of the armed forces.
The deployment will also take place as part of NATO’s “Arctic Sentinel” mission, launched this week, with the aim of strengthening the Alliance’s security in the region, where melting sea ice opens up new maritime routes and increases the risk of hostile state activity.
France has also announced that it will deploy its aircraft carrier strike group in the same region in 2026.
Starmer said in Munich that Britain must be “ready to fight”, stressing that the leaders are faced with clear challenges because, as he said, Russia has shown readiness for aggression.
The British Ministry of Defense stated that in the past two years there has been a 30 percent increase in the activities of Russian warships that pose a threat to British territorial waters.
US President Donald Trump further upset European countries with statements that Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark in the Arctic, should come under the control of the United States.
Trump said last month that an agreement had been reached with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, which would give the United States greater influence in that mineral-rich and strategically important territory.
(Vijesti.ba)
