Royal Navy begins first major workout of headline global deployment

The UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG), with flagship HMS Prince of Wales at its heart, is on an eight-month mission to the Indo-Pacific and has just arrived off Italy’s south coast for Exercise Med Strike. 

The strike group is made up of an array of warships, aircraft and an Astute-class submarine, creating a potent UK force centred on fifth generation stealth jets – in the form of F-35B Lightning fighters embarked on Prince of Wales – capable of operating closely with NATO allies and partners across the globe.

Exercise Med strike – which begins tomorrow (May 5) and conclude on Sunday (May 11) – will bring all the component pieces of the CSG together.

In the waters of the Ionian Sea – between Taranto and Sicily – a force of two carrier strike groups, 21 warships, three submarines, 41 fast jets, 19 helicopters, ten patrol aircraft and more than 8,000 personnel will train together. 

The Italian Navy’s Carrier Strike Group – with their own flagship and carrier ITS Cavour at its heart – will join with the UK CSG to anti-submarine warfare tactics among other skills. 

“This is a major moment in the UK Carrier Strike Group’s global deployment and will test our skills alongside NATO allies in a region of fundamental importance to UK security,” said Commodore James Blackmore, Commander UK Carrier Strike Group.

“It is with great pride that we begin operations in the Mediterranean. I know UK and allied service personnel on the warships and aircraft of the Strike Group stand ready to deliver.

"Working at the heart of a powerful NATO force sends a strong message and shows clearly the phenomenal capabilities that not only the UK possesses but the alliance as a whole.”

Alongside the UK and Italy, Canada, France, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Türkiye and the United States are also involved in Exercise Med Strike.

The UK Carrier Strike Group entered the Mediterranean this week and was under NATO command as they participated in the alliance’s Exercise Neptune Strike – which forms a part of a mission to maintain security in the Euro-Atlantic region, deterring any aggressor who would seek to threaten freedom of navigation.

The CSG proved its ability to seamlessly integrate and contribute to NATO missions, working closely with forces from Bulgaria, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, Northern Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Türkiye and the United States.

The UK Carrier Strike Group is multinational by design. Ahead of Neptune Strike, the UK ships were joined by Spanish frigate Méndez Núñez and Norwegian ships HNoMS Maud and HNoMS Roald Amundsen.

Between now and December, the Carrier Strike Group will conduct a series of exercises and operations with air, sea and land forces of a dozen allies in the Mediterranean, Middle East, South-east Asia, Japan and Australia.

This is the second deployment of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group. The first, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2021, took place against the backdrop of a world in lockdown due to the Covid pandemic.

The 2025 mission, known as Operation Highmast and commanded by Commodore Blackmore and his staff from aboard HMS Prince of Wales, occurs with a changed world order and even more volatile geo-political situation.

The goal is to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to the security of the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific region, demonstrate collective resolve with our allies and showcase British trade and industry.

Over the course of the deployment, upwards of 4,500 British military personnel will be involved, including nearly 600 RAF and 900 soldiers alongside 2,500 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines.