British Navy Carrier Strike Group HMS Queen Elizabeth conducts naval exercise with Singapore Navy
Leonard T. Koonce
2 min read
According to information released by the British Ministry of Defense on July 27, 2021, ships of the British Carrier Strike Group, led by the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, conducted a naval exercise with the Navy of the Republic of Singapore (RSN) July 26, 2021.
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HMS Queen Elizabeth, HNLMS Evertsen, USS The Sullivans and HMS Kent. (Image source UK Ministry of Defense)
The exercise, to advance interoperability and coordination between the two navies, builds on the deep and long-standing defense partnership between the United Kingdom and Singapore. It was also the first time that ships of the 5th Generation Carrier Strike Group of the British Royal Navy trained alongside the RSN (Republic of Singapore Navy).
Eight ships participated in this exercise, including the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, the anti-submarine frigate HMS Kent Type 23, the HNLMS Evertsen De Zeven Provicien class frigate of the Royal Netherlands Navy, the guided-missile destroyer of Sullivans Arleigh Burke-class of the US Navy, the RFA Tidespring Fast Fleet Tanker of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary, the RSS-class frigate Intrepid Formidable, the RSS Unity Independence-class littoral mission ship and the landing-class tank RSS Resolution Endurance of the Republic of Singapore Navy.
The British Navy Carrier Strike Group, which made its first deployment in May this year and successfully conducted operations and engagements in the Mediterranean, is now located in the Indo-Pacific.
The specially designed aircraft carrier supply ship, RFA (Royal Fleet Auxiliary) Tidespring separated from the main group on Friday (July 23, 2021) for a rapid, contactless refueling in Singapore. She will now support the group as they progress further east.
The British strike group will then undertake a series of multinational exercises with global allies in the Philippine Sea. Later this year, the Carrier Strike Group will return to Singapore. A Group vessel will also participate in Exercise Bersama Gold – with Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand – which will mark the 50th anniversary of the Five Power Defense Arrangements.
The British Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier is accompanied in operation by a strike group consisting of ships, submarines and aircraft and other vessels from international partners that provide a network of defensive military capabilities and offensive. The attack group can move, act and fight as an integrated, cohesive force, even when spread over thousands of miles, but individual ships can detach from the main group to perform independent or simultaneous tasks depending on needs.
