School News Network
United Kingdom, July 22 2021
The joint exercises
between the Carrier Strike Group and the Indian Navy are being conducted in the
Bay of Bengal from 21-23 July.
· As part of its maiden
operational deployment, the CSG will sail over 26,000 nautical miles,
engaging with 40 countries from the Mediterranean to the Indo-Pacific and back
again.
· The fifth generation
HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier, at 65,000 tonnes, is the largest surface vessel
ever constructed in the UK. Taller than Niagara Falls, her propellers generate
the power of 50 high-speed trains. She leads six Royal Navy ships, a Royal Navy
submarine, a US Navy destroyer and a frigate from the Netherlands in the
largest concentration of maritime and air power to leave the UK in a
generation. It is equipped with the fifth generation F-35B Lightning multi-role
aircrafts. They are being jointly crewed by the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and
the US Marine Corps.
· From defending
democratic values and tackling shared threats, to seizing new trade
opportunities through engagements with Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Japan,
India and others, the deployment marks a step-change in UK engagement in the
region. The UK is already investing significantly in the region by seeking
ASEAN Dialogue Partner status, kicking off negotiations to join the
Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)
and rapidly progressing trade talks with Australia, New Zealand and India.
 |
| HMS Queen Elizabeth (front) with an Indian Shivalik Multi-role Frigate (second from front) in the Bay of Bengal. Photo Credit- Royal Navy |
The United Kingdom’s Carrier Strike Group (CSG)
2021, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth has met up with the Indian Navy in the Bay of
Bengal, for three days of complex maritime interactions.
The maritime partnership exercise between the
Indian Navy and the Royal Navy will see the two navies conducting a range of
multi-ship, air, sea and sub-surface maritime evolutions, as well as, close
quarter manoeuvring. This enables both forces to advance their interoperability
and cooperation ahead of further exercises when the CSG returns to the Indian
Ocean in the autumn. The combined forces equate to 10 ships, two submarines,
approximately 20 aircraft and almost 4,000 personnel.
Both the UK and India are in the midst of a carrier
renaissance, with the CSG spearheading the UK’s Joint Expeditionary capability.
The joint endeavour provides tangible security to our friends and a credible
deterrence to those who seek to undermine global security. An Indian warship
will also exercise with the Royal Navy off the coast of the UK in August.
First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin
said: “This is
a month that will see the Royal Navy and Indian Navy meet and work together in
two oceans – beginning in the Indian Ocean as the UK Carrier Strike Group
arrives for the first of multiple UK-India exercises and events. Later this
summer, both will participate in a separate exercise in the Atlantic Ocean. The
deployment is proof of the strength, energy and significance of the growing
relationship between our navies.”
Chief of Joint Operations, Vice Admiral Sir Ben Key
said: “The UK
and India are key defence partners and the Carrier Strike Group’s deployment is
a symbol of Global Britain in action, showcasing our commitment to India, the
Indo-Pacific region, and confronting threats to international order.”
Commodore Steve Moorhouse, Commander United Kingdom
Carrier Strike Group, said: “As HMS Queen Elizabeth and her Carrier Strike
Group cross the Indian Ocean, it is only natural that we should exercise with
the Indian Navy.
“At the strategic level, the exercise is a muscular
expression of the closer defence partnership that Prime Ministers Johnson and
Modi envisaged when they agreed the UK-India Roadmap 2030 earlier this year.”
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