Aircraft carriers from the United Kingdom, Japan and the United States have gathered in the Northern Philippine Sea in a high-profile demonstration of allied naval power during Operation Highmast.
A rare formation featuring two US Navy flat tops, Japan’s JS Kaga and the Royal Navy’s HMS Prince of Wales has assembled in the Northern Philippine Sea in what may be the most powerful multinational naval force currently operating anywhere in the world.
Allies and partners sailing as one.
🇬🇧🇯🇵🇺🇸🇦🇺🇳🇴🇪🇸
📍Northern Phillippine Sea.#CSG25 #OpHighmast pic.twitter.com/OMC4Bo1vJL
— UK Carrier Strike Group (@COMUKCSG) August 10, 2025
The lineup includes a US Nimitz-class supercarrier, the F-35B-capable JS Kaga, a US Wasp/America-class amphibious assault ship and HMS Prince of Wales, each with embarked fast jets, helicopters and supporting escorts. Dozens of combat aircraft from the carriers formed up overhead in a display of allied air power.
Operation Highmast is the Royal Navy’s 2025 Carrier Strike Group deployment, centred on HMS Prince of Wales. The deployment spans the Indo-Pacific, with port visits and exercises designed to strengthen partnerships and improve operational readiness with regional allies. It has included joint training with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, the US Navy, and the Australian Defence Force, as well as integrated air operations featuring F-35B Lightning II jets from 617 Squadron.
The operation also serves as a platform to develop complex multinational interoperability, from combined carrier strike operations to coordinated anti-submarine warfare and humanitarian assistance drills. This year’s itinerary takes the strike group across some of the most strategically contested waters in the world, underlining the UK’s commitment to upholding freedom of navigation and a stable security environment in the Indo-Pacific.
🔷#OpHighmast🔷#JS_KAGA and #JS_TERUZUKI are conducting a Japan – U.K – Australia – Norway – Spain – U.S.Multilateral Exercise!!!!!#CSG25 #AlliesAndPartners #StrongerTogether #Interoperability pic.twitter.com/Si0efmePO4
— 防衛省 海上自衛隊 (@JMSDF_PAO) August 10, 2025
Images released by the JMSDF show the three nations’ carriers and escorts operating in formation, with allied aircraft and helicopters visible on deck. The JMSDF framed the exercise as a testament to the strength of its alliances, using the hashtags #StrongerTogether and #AlliesAndPartners, while also invoking the shared goal of a “free and open Indo-Pacific”.
This carrier convergence marks a significant moment in Operation Highmast, combining naval aviation assets from some of the world’s most capable maritime forces in a single operating area.
That’s quite the fleet,
impressive sight
Impressive that Norway, Spain, and previously Netherlands can also see the big picture and support Freedom of Navigation that is so central to world trade.
#FONOPS
Ironic that CCP depends on global trade, too..
Great pic.
From that angle POW really doesnt look much smaller than the US Nimitz!
That’s because she recently went from 65,000 tonnes to 80,500 tonnes. 👀
Have they been feeding her special sausage and beans ?
It isn’t much smaller. Maybe 10-15% and most of that is deck overhang.
Indeed QECs have a big flat top.
As you say the sponsoons for the angled deck are most of the difference in area.
That is one hell of a show of force.
If you take the larger ship to be ca. 1.25 times the displacement (essentially volume) of the the other, then that implies a difference in linear dimensions of 1.3^(1/3), which is a little shy of 10%, i.e. not that visibly noticeable.
Beautiful pictures but at the moment zero firm orders for amphibious ships, escorts or support ships , Britain even has no support Stores ships available at the moment, just Words
Nope firm orders placed for theee solids stores ships are far more than words.
13 frigates on order and building, 3 solid stores ships on order and amphibious ships to be announced in October.
Jim I’ll be really happy if 6 MRSS and some more frigates are ordered.
Until hard orders are placed I’ll remain healthily sceptical…..
I would be delighted but no chance for more frigates.
I don’t think we’ll get new build contracts until Spring 2027, which coincides with increased MOD budgets. Of course decisions will have to be made ahead of that, not least of which is what is to be built at Rosyth and what at Belfast.
I fear the RN will overstretch in its requirements for MRSS and I hope that would be slapped down hard. Ordering what amounts to a very large complex warship from Belfast will be asking for very long delays, and busted budgets.
I agree that placing orders for this kind of thing is essential.
My fear with all of this is that Starmer will announce his ‘defence budget increases’ and announce lots of orders at the end of this year which will all fall to the next government that will then find that ‘defence spending’ has been padded out and used to fund all kinds of things that have nothing to do with core defence so that these new massive contacts are effectively unfunded.
It is very difficult to see how Reeves is going to fill the huge black holes that she is busily creating by striking the economy as there is no appetite to deal with the obvious problems of welfare and benefits as well as the ever hungry NHS that needs huge amounts of cash that disappears into ever large hospitals.
A definite commitment to the MRSS class to be announced w/in the DIP? Excellent, did not realize that! 👍👍😊
And what happened to the around 700 ship lost since the 1980s ?
Lovely to see but there is very little media coverage of any of this,where if it was broadcast on BBC and sky surely it would do wonders for recruitment
No one wants to share positive story’s on the UK. You can see that here from people who claim to be patriots but a so ready to push and believe any negative news, especially if it supports their political bias.
Are we still a BLUE water navy well 2 carriers isn’t enough .we need more escorts ,and let’s get the rfa up to its cold war status
The answer is yes according to the definition..
“designed to operate on and range over the open sea; oceangoing, a bluewater navy that can be dispatched throughout the world, far from its home base”
Agree. It often amazes me how few people on here bother to look up even basic definitions.
Surprisingly the article doesn’t mention which US flattops. Presumably these are the USS George Washington and the USS America, which loaned HMS Prince of Wales a few USMC fighters earlier in the tour.
A very impressive photex.
I was literally about to say the same thing.. a bit more information about the carrier’s that were there would have been nice
“One of” – I’d love to see a more powerful fleet! I think this is quite comfortably the most powerful fleet in the world by a very wide margin
What a disgrace we have to rely on the USN and the Japanese Navy to police the Pacific. We are a blue water navy, we should have enough ships to do this ourselves. I blame Cameron.
LOL
We can all agree that more fighty and support ships would be excellent.
However, RN does have a super pipeline of new frigates as well as 3 solids stores. Just add more, this time, full fat T31 with some medium level ASW capabilities and Mk41 fitted from the off.
The hole in the plan is no amphibious ships.
6 MRSS?
It would be nice if six were actually ordered.
We don’t live in the pacific, do you expect the Japanese to police the North Sea?
And we have two forward deployed constabulary vessels in the area with a CSG there now. What more do you expect. Even when we had colonies and ruled 1/4 of the earth we never had a permanent pacific fleet.
Why would we have one now?
Ummm…er…the British Pacific Fleet (BPF) was established in November 1944, consisting of both RN and Commonwealth assets. By August 1945, four battleships, six fleet carriers, fifteen escort carriers, over 750 aircraft, and virtually uncountable escorts comprised the BPF. Notable engagements included attacks on Japanese oil refineries in Sumatra, support of the Okinawa campaign through neutralization of Sakishima Islands (vital Japanese air bridge) and the bombardment of the Japanese home islands. Rather interesting what you Brits (and Commonwealth) can accomplish, if some country(ies) actually manage to annoy you sufficiently, to the point 60% of GDP is dedicated to defence.
History seldom refers to the BPF and their incredible efforts half way around the World during that 4 year (ish) period. Most would be led to believe that RN efforts all but sank without trace with HMS POW and HMS Repulse after they were attacked the day after Pearl. I believe some really bad decisions were made at that time in that area which might have completely altered the direction of the War there if planning and circumstances/leadership decisions been better. (plenty of online articles can fill in the detail)
I believe the RN and Comonwealth navies (combined) ended up with more Aircraft Carriers than the USN, allbeit there were many smaller types. The RN and comenwealth in 1941 was fighting in all parts of the World, pretty much alone untill Pearl.
Hollywood only shows the big ticket battles.
Jim, he (James Branding) was being sarcastic with his “Police the Pacific” comment.
It’s easy to get carried away on here but It pays to double check what is actually said.
The “LOL” at the end underlind his intended aim.
I was being ironic.
Ironic, sarcastic but not serious like it was taken to be.
How much valuable time in these deployments are spent positioning ships into formations never seen in modern warefare, just for cute media photos? How many millions of pounds from aircraft budgets got diverted into practicing for this photo flight instead of practicing for group deployments of the joint fleet?
In this case, the picture sends a message that might just not get sent (or received) otherwise.
Because such a picture gets China’s attention.
Zero. It’s all training. Don’t forget they are out there 24/7 with not much to actually do in peacetime. No reason not to take a few photos.
So reality is two carriers and two smaller “assault” carriers. Bit pedantic but I prefer accuracy.
The Article headline says “4 Carriers” the picture shows 4 carriers, you call them all carriers so I can’t see anything inaccurate personally.
Either way, would you like to see them off your coast with intention to attack. It is a huge show of force.
Do I see 3 subs peeking up in that shot? No wash behind so not sure
Or are they 3 helos?
Helos.
And yet it is unable to project power anymore and is in fear of being sunk by even small states.
Carrier doctrine is in chaos now.it has been proven that they cannot defend themselves and their new aircraft are substandard airframes with a fancy headset.