The United Kingdom and France are jointly leading an international effort to secure maritime trade in the Middle East, with Britain committing a destroyer, fast jets and autonomous systems to a planned multinational mission, the Ministry of Defence has said.
The position was set out by Armed Forces Minister Al Carns in response to written questions from the Reform UK MP for Romford, Andrew Rosindell, who asked about the armed forces’ operational posture for protecting merchant shipping in the region, the role of Royal Navy frigates, and the coordination taking place with NATO allies and other international partners.
Carns said the government kept deployments and force posture under constant review and that he could not comment further for reasons of operational security. On the wider effort, Carns said securing maritime trade in the Middle East, and particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, required a combined international approach. He said the UK and France were leading that work, with representatives from more than 40 nations, not only NATO members, attending a defence ministers’ meeting on 12 May.
“The Government keeps deployments and force posture under constant review. I cannot comment further for reasons of operational security. Securing maritime trade in the Middle East, particularly in the Strait of Hormuz requires a combined international effort. The UK with France is leading that effort, with representatives from over 40 nations, not just NATO members, attending the Defence Ministers meeting on the 12 May.
Planning for the independent and defensive Multinational Military Mission continues. The mission will be distinct from any other military campaign and will commence only when conditions permit, demonstrating a tangible commitment to the security of international trade and freedom of navigation. The UK has committed autonomous mine hunting equipment and cutting-edge counter drone systems, along with Typhoon jets and the destroyer HMS Dragon.”
Planning for what the minister described as an independent and defensive Multinational Military Mission is continuing. According to the Ministry of Defence, the mission will be distinct from any other military campaign and will begin only when conditions permit. Carns said the UK had committed autonomous mine-hunting equipment and counter-drone systems, along with Typhoon jets and the destroyer HMS Dragon, describing the contribution as a tangible commitment to the security of international trade and freedom of navigation.
Carns gave no date for the mission to begin, saying only that it would commence when conditions permitted.
While Pollard is at it one one side, Carns on the other.
“Carns said the government kept deployments and force posture under constant review and that he could not comment further for reasons of operational security.”
Let me comment for you.
Regards escorts, we have no assets to commit beyond a single T45 as the rest of the force has been cut, retired, scrapped, rationalised, or is committed elsewhere.
That applies to the amphibious force as well, and you’re currently playing the standard trick of using a Bay in lieu of anything else, removing it from its core task.
No operational security is needed to see and state clearly what you and the governments before you since 1995 have done to the military.
Hi M8,
Well to be fair if we aren’t actually in a war which requires some sort of Amphibious lift capacity I can’t actually see reason you wouldn’t use a Bay as a Mother / Support / Base ship for this job. It’s big, has a flood down well, plenty of space, reliable and it’s available.
In fact in terms of cost effective and flexible the Bays (and Rivers) are about the best assets the RN has bought in decades !
Indeed, an amphibious asset with a well dock. Ideal.
Some of the best assets we’ve had.
And if the unforseen arrives tomorrow which requires a RM landing?
My issue isn’t the ship, it’s the never ending Rob Peter to pay Paul to then grandstand like we’re a major power with Carns saying anything and everything but admit reality.
We’re managing, just. So what do the RM do in the meantime? Maybe train them as MCM specialists as well?
The 3 mothers cannot come soon enough.
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Trade is closed because of the Agressor, US and Israel. If the aggressor surrenders, pay reparations and go home, trade will resume.
Absolutely spot on mate, personally, considering we only have two operational T45s, I would let the French and Italians lead with an Horizon and or other escorts.
Until additional T45 become available and T26/31 start joining the fleet, I would keep our now limited assets close to home.
Perhaps we’re going to sell our current “fleet”. Save a fortune on maintenance! 🫣.
Apparently when RFA Lyme Bay left Gibraltar it called at Toulon to pick-up the French Navy’s autonomous mine-hunting system too. Looks like she’ll be running a combined RN and MN mine-hunting operation.
Yes, I read that too. If there’s the space, why not.
This task will not begin in earnest until they are confident things will not re-start, as for when it ends….I wonder when Dragon will come home. Perhaps not until they find something to replace her with.
who are these other nations and what assets would they contibute?
Can’t see the point personally.
They aren’t going In when the war Is still ongoing and when It’s finished, just let Trumps bunch go clean up his mess.
Great to see we held another Meeting though.
Anyway, where are all the “Fake Yanks” on here lately ? 🤔😁
They’re all busy trying to make $17,240 within four weeks.
🤣
The 6+ month delay to the DIP may actually benefit the RN. The “shock discovery” that RN has been cut to almost nothing – to the extent that deploying just one warship required a major and lengthy effort – may be so politically embarrassing (for all parties, not just Labour) that the naval projects will be almost untouchable as the axe falls to make DIP fit the actual approved budget (rather than the meaningless “3% ambition”). E.g. I wouldn’t want to be Minister having to defend cutting the number of UK T26’s from 8 to 6 on the grounds that Norway is buying 5 and Canada 15, and in emergency they would bail the UK out. Six T26’s would mean at best two operational – one for vital Atlantic Bastion duties and one for critical TAPS/FRE duties. So no T26 for the important UK CSG ASW escort tasking! To fill the gap would need at least one and ideally two operational Norwegian and Canadian T26’s permanently under CINCFleet’s full control, not just occasionally assigned for a particular exercise or deployment. Not going to happen.
going when the fighting is all over, one thing’s for sure, we’ll never be able to accuse the yanks of coming late in WW1 or WW2
There’s wars to be early or timely in and wars never to be in, wars to be late in are the very worst wars to be in. Those are lessons the US still clearly needs to learn. Indeed beyond those lessons wars to be in to hide things at home or try to gain popularity are the worst of the lot. Even Trump is seeing that now as only an ever declining rump still remotely supports it.
Not sure I understand what your trying to say, do you ?
Makes perfect sense to me 🤔
It’s not our War, It’s Trumps. Trump Is now starting to realise his error.
Fine, if your happy with religious extremists having nuclear weapons !
It ain’t rocket science is it ?
Fine, if your happy with religious extremists having nuclear weapons !
It ain’t rocket science is it ?
Blether blether blether. This is all just posturing. We are never going to charge in and “open the straits”. If peace breaks out, we don’t need to open the straits. Simples.
I agree. It’s just posing.
If a peace deal is struck, and Iran opens the Straits to allow free movement, then they will clear the mines. If a deal cannot be found, the Straits stay shut or the US opens them and clears the mines under fire (but who would use them?).
Either way, ‘no coalition of the willing’.
Thanks, just for a few weeks here, I thought I was the only one who got this. 👌
All hot air unfortunately from the UK.
As others have said 1 x T45 if this actually gets done
Would have been a great opportunity to test Dragonfire.
Can’t help thinking considering Iran has most of the cards thanks to Trump’s misguided adventurism, that part of any agreement will be that no foreign warships (well western anyway) operate in this manner. So 90% posturing certainly, maybe 10% a broad mix of irrelevance.