The new Labour Government has confirmed that the Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group, led by HMS Prince of Wales, will be deployed to the Indo-Pacific region in 2025.

This announcement reaffirms plans laid out under the previous Conservative Government.

In a parliamentary question asked by James Cartlidge, Conservative MP for South Suffolk, on 17th July 2024, the status of the deployment was queried.

Luke Pollard, Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Defence, confirmed on 25th July 2024 that the Ministry plans to proceed with the deployment. “Yes, the Ministry of Defence plans to deploy HMS Prince of Wales to the Indo-Pacific in 2025,” Pollard stated.

Earlier this year, under the Conservative Government, Grant Shapps highlighted the strategic importance of such deployments. He detailed that sending HMS Prince of Wales to the Indo-Pacific was intended to send a strong message against any attempts to undermine the rules-based international order.

“In an increasingly volatile world where we can no longer take peace for granted, it’s critical to stand united with our allies and partners in defence of democracy and freedom,” Shapps had said.

HMS Prince of Wales will lead the UK Carrier Strike Group in a series of operations and exercises, including a port visit to Japan. The mission is designed to enhance defence relationships and demonstrate UK commitment to the Indo-Pacific. Shapps had noted the significance of joint exercises in conveying the UK’s readiness to respond to global threats and support free trade and travel.

This deployment follows the precedent set by HMS Queen Elizabeth, which led the 2021 Carrier Strike Group on a journey covering 55,000 nautical miles from the eastern Atlantic to Japan and back.

During that deployment, the armed forces engaged diplomatically with over 40 nations, underscoring the importance of maintaining a global naval presence.

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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40 COMMENTS

  1. Hi folks hope all is well.
    Great news, I would be surprised if the government would cancel after all of the publicity about defence and the UKs commitment they (Labour) keep reminding us.
    I guess the CSG will be accompanied by others. Wonder if the US will add a carrier to the group, you experts can advise of this probability.
    Cheers
    George

    • Probably a squadron of USM F35Bs to make up for the lack of our numbers of Aircraft .Can’t see an injection of any new F35s soon ,but one can hope again or pray 🙏

      • 24 Lightnings from 617 Squadron and 809 NAS will be embarked on HMS Prince of Wales next year, plus around a dozen Merlins and maybe a couple of Wildcats too for good measure. Expect more arrivals of F35B Lightnings from the Italian and Japanese Navies..

      • “Probably a squadron of USM F35Bs to make up for the lack of our numbers of Aircraft…”

        I hope Not, I will hope for an all UK Squadron at sea, even if it means leasing a few F-35s for home overland operations.

    • Zero chance of the USN adding a CVN to CSG25! But its almost certain that the TG will exercise with USN CSG’s and ARG’s.

      To a considerable extent the USN treated CSG-21 like an American carrier deployment and provided a huge amount of assistance, logistical and other support. Covid made access by CSG-21 to USN replenishments ships and shore facilities in Guam essential. The level of co-operation was undoubtedly enhanced by the fact that CSG-21 included a very substantial American element – a USN destroyer (USS The Sullivans), a squadron of 10 USMC F-35’s (VFMA-211), a contingent of US Navy aviation ordnance specialists, plus communications, cyber and logistics experts from the USMC. In total there were over 600 USN and USMC personnel involved – headed by a Colonel (later Brigadier General, one star rank), So far, no sign of anything similar for CSG-25. There were rumours at the start of the year that the RN had enquired about the possible inclusion of some USMC MV-22’s in to POW’s air group, but that seems to have come to nothing.  

      • Strange tidings indeed. USN exercises as it intends to conduct warfare. Believe CSG-21 was the prototype model for future ops. Have read no article re any revision of baseline doctrine. Plans could be w/held for OPSEC reasons. Or, other commitments may have a higher priority. RN should be able to conduct ops solo everywhere except the SCS. Presume there will be an USAF and/or USN force w/in combat radius while CSG-25 w/in SCS. 🤔

        • Realistically CSG25 is unlikely to be numerically as strong as CSG21, particularly if a purely UK formation. E.g. embarking same number (18) F-35B’s from the two RAF/FAA front-line squadrons will be very challenging, whilst the provision of three air defence destroyers (from a total force of 6) by the RN seems impossible. We really need a few allies offering a ship for CSG25 ASAP.

          Also, any freedom of passage of CSG25 through the South China Sea will surely be contingent on the USN providing a CSG as a de-facto distant escort.

          • I expect about 18 UK F35B’s, 2 x T45, 2 x T23 and an SSN, plus helo and RFA support.

            I think deploying 24 F35B on anything other than short term exercise, or operational deployment will be really vexing.

          • Essentially agree, although have read that the basic CSG consists of CV, 2 DDGs, 2 FFGs (ASW variant), 1 tanker, 1 solid stores replenishment vessel and an Astute.
            Potentially, FONOPS in SCS could vary anywhere between a benign non-event and ops slightly below open warfare threshold. Generally believe it is better to be locked, loaded and ready to rock before venturing down some alleys. 😳

          • 24 F35B’s will embark. 12 from 809 Naval Air Squadron and 12 from 617 Squadron RAF. Expect to see also, Italian and Japanese Lightnings operating from the ship.

          • Sorry but I just don’t believe that POW will be embarking 24 UK owned F-35B’s for CSG25. I will apologise sincerely to you and others if (as usual) I prove to be wrong, and leave a tenner in a RNLI mine!

          • I’m not sure how many F35b’s Italian have right now but I’m sure they have at least four on their own carrier in the indo pacific at the moment which will need an extended maintenance piriod when they get back but let’s hope they can transfer their experiences on POW

          • They will certainly pay a visit to HMS Prince of Wales, which will be something great to see. I think they landed on HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2021 as well..

    • Wonder if the US will add a carrier to the group

      Probably not a carrier, but likely a BMD capable Burke and a squadron of USMC F-35Bs as well if requested, like during CSG 21.

  2. It’ll be interesting to see how fleshed out this CSG is. The one centred on QE in 2021 was pretty sizeable, but even just 3 years ago the RN and RFA were in a better place (better SSN availability, nominally more escorts, fewer tankers laid up).

    Getting 24 British F35’s deployed will be a serous stretch!

  3. HMS Prince of Wales on deployment to the Far East to send a strong message. HMS Queen Elizabeth – yes, HMS PoW – not really!

  4. They should send a carrier group to the Falklands. Nothing makes a statement to the new Argentine president quite like that

    • Like Mark said, a bit of a waste of resources but I would like to see an element of LSG south head to the Falklands with perhaps RFA Argus and a frigate. Good place for drills, especially if the para’s were on rotation there to face the marines.

  7. I have to say, so far, I am very impressed with the new Government. It was never really in any doubt that HMS Prince of Wales would deploy next year, but nevertheless, it is very reassuring to see it reconfirmed. This is not just about sailing a Carrier task group all the way to the other side of the world, with all the messages it sends to China etc… it is also, and equally importantly about engagement and partnership building with friendly Nations. Japan, for example is buying the F35B, and some have already been delivered. So expect to see Japanese Lightnings operating from HMS Prince of Wales during the deployment.

    • Glad to see National military needs rather than purely politics seems to be directing Labour’s defence policy. Defence should be agreed between the major parties in the UK.

  8. Always glad to see us challanging China’s illegal grabbing of overseas teritories & bullying of any neighbours concerned. I’d love to see a RN CSG deploying similarly closer to the eve of an invasion of Taiwan, if we had the right intelligence. Alongside a USN CSG it would have a suitably deterrent effect.
    I wonder if other East Asian friends will send ships to participate & exercise? Austrailia, Singapore, Japan etc.

    The modern world is too small to just limit our defence focus on our own hemisphere. We have allies & vital interests with world wide trade routes. Plus there’s the reponsability of being a permanent member of the UN security council. Our enemies freely & regularly attack us in the cyber sphere, interfere in elections & political debate. Isolationalism is a naive illusion.

  9. Have they made a decision about transitting the Suez-Gulf with this CSG 2025? It’ll potentially be a huge shooting galley opportunity for the Houthis and whoever else is anti-West. Sure hope there’s the extra CAMM on the T45s, even a T31 available, more defensive armaments and decoys on the Carriers and RFA’s and sub(s) already in the Gulf beforehand. Said by many here, a few more useful T31s wouldn’t break the budget and then some could easily be spread or based beyond the Gulf area.

  10. CSG21 was planned for years in advance. CSG25 will be the same.
    The RN will have been moving vessels into planned maintenance and refit over the past few years to ensure that the vessels are available to deploy and equally important that vessels remaining in the UK are also equally available.
    Same goes for aircraft and crew.
    You dont do these things off the cuff you plan ahead.
    Why are the subs alongside doing maintenance?
    Why are T45s and T23s in maintenance/refit?
    When are ships going to FOST?
    Prior planning for CSFG25

    The big issue will be the solid support ship. Without it going it’s going to be a big issue. Probably means conex boxes/chilcons on a tanker and more port calls (not a bad thing!) to do Logistics stops.

    Regarding escorts.
    When on a deployment you don’t play as a full Task Group all of the time. You do pre planned major exercises and shows of force together and then bomb burst all over the place to do your own thing. That can be single ship exercises with other nations or visits. Very few ports can take a Deathstar and its escorts at the same time.

    Ocean Wave 97, the task group came together in port once in Fremantle, Australia. It also came together in Diego Garcia but not everyone was alongside (we where!) as many including the Deathstar anchored off. All other visits where singleton ships doing their own thing. Exercise Flying Fish and the HK handover where the big exercise get togethers. HMS Gloucester spent most of the time when not doing those exercises exercising and visiting Aus and NZ as a singleton. On Beaver we did Phuket, Bangkok, HK, Singers, Vietnam, single ship exercises with those nations and a couple of short fuelling stops on our own.
    Taurus 09 another far east deployment was much the same although Bulwark was the defacto Deathstar. We did visits on our own without escorts to Kota Kinabalu, Singers, Phuket, Brunei, Vishakhapatnam. Except for exercises in Bangladesh and Malaysia/Brunei we only got together in the Maldives for one day to allow the crews of all the TG vessels to get a pre-arranged R&R day on one of the islands.

    Will the Deathstar do a SCS Spratley’s sail through? Probably yes. Escorted? For that yes with one/two vessel attending. Then again, they may only send a T45 or T23. Depends on what special fits they take.

  11. Will CSG25 be the last swan-song of carrier strike – POW arriving back at Portsmouth in Nov or Dec 2025 to be decommissioned? It’s becoming clear that the carrier haters see the Defence Review as great opportunity to finally kill off the the RN’s carrier ambitions. The ideal solution for them, and Treasury bean counters, would be Australia now pro-actively offering a few £billion for the two carriers and all of the UK F-35B’s – attempting to get the bargain of the century.  

    Selling off the two QECs, running down the [now only land-based Lightening force, and cancelling the FSS ships will “free” lots of money for other projects without any increase in UK defence spending.  

    Lightening F-35B purchases would then presumably be capped at 48 aircraft, reaching a peak of c.35 a/c in service as older aircraft lacking upgrade capabilities are retired That’s not enough for two 12 a/c front-line squadron so 809 NAS will soon again be history. The big decision then will be whether to focus all available funding on expediting the target 2035 ISD for Tempest (late 2030’s in practice?), or be more pragmatic and buy a few (24?) Tranche 4 Typhoon’s or F-35A TR4 Lightening’s as a stop-gap.  

    It’s time for CDS ( Admiral Sir Tony Radakin) and 1 SL (Admiral Sir Ben Key) to step up the mark and really sell the carrier strike vision to Lord Robertson and his team. Otherwise the RN seriously faces the prospect of a repeat of the the worst aspects of the disastrous 1966 and 2010 defence reviews, combined!

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