Despite the tense situation in Europe: The Royal Navy is back in the East of Suez

Until fifty years ago, Great Britain's naval power was a significant factor in global power struggles. The golden era of Queen Victoria, the First and Second World Wars, and the Cold War had passed. Initial discussions about reducing its global presence began in the mid-1960s. Subsequently, the withdrawal of forces "East of Suez" became a reality in 1971, specifically from the bases in Aden and Singapore.

The Labour government under Harold Wilson became convinced that the previous strategy was outdated. The dwindling empire and the independence of numerous colonies, the disappearance of the need for power projection, and, above all, the immense costs and overstretched resources made it impossible to maintain the base network in the Middle and Far East. Security policy interests now focused primarily on the role within NATO in Northern and Central Europe, where the British Army of the Rhine maintained four divisions in the Rhineland alone.

However, abandoning Aden and Singapore did not mean that Britain had abandoned all its interests in this region. As its operations in Brunei, Iraq, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, and the Red Sea have shown, and in some cases still show, Britain is still striving to protect its own interests or to support those of its allies.

Today, elements of the Royal Air Force, Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Marines maintain a presence in the region. Air bases in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman are still used. Since 2006, the Royal Navy has stationed a few warships at Mina Salmon near Manama, the U.S. 5th Fleet facility. The U.S. Navy took over these facilities in Bahrain in 1971 after the British withdrawal. Britain has continued to operate a logistics base there since 2018. Also in 2018, the Royal Navy established a logistics base for all services in the port of Duqm, Oman. This vital facility outside the Gulf even includes a dry dock. This allows the Royal Navy to maintain combat ships, support operations in the Indian Ocean, and even its aircraft carriers.

Calls for additional facilities and even the re-establishment of actual bases are periodically heard, most recently by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. For example, the Sebawang base in Singapore has been mentioned repeatedly. For now, however, these remain vague declarations of intent. But the UK remains active in the region in other ways and has significantly expanded its operations since 2021.

These activities are driven by the rapidly increasing importance of maritime trade routes since globalization, the growing threat to them, and the willingness to demonstrate a presence in the region in solidarity with third parties, especially the United States, Japan, South Korea, and the Commonwealth allies, to share responsibilities and thus send a signal in the face of repeated threats from China. The significance of this deployment was also underscored by Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to the unit shortly before the start of "Operation Highmast."

The renaissance of a prominent "East of Suez" presence began in 2021. At that time, the Royal Navy, although its strength had been shrinking for decades, deployed a naval force around the aircraft carrier HMS "Queen Elizabeth" with over twenty F-35B fighter jets, four combat ships, two supply ships, and a nuclear-powered attack submarine, presumably HMS "Astute," to the region under difficult COVID-19 conditions.

Four years have passed since that deployment. Now, shortly after Easter 2025, another large formation led by the 65,000-ton aircraft carrier HMS "Prince of Wales" left the ports of Portsmouth and Devonport in southern England, bound for the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, and Far East, with stops including Japan, the Philippines, and Australia.

The carrier's air group includes 40 aircraft and helicopters, including the Navy's 809th Squadron and the Royal Air Force's legendary 617th Squadron. Eighteen state-of-the-art F-35B fighter aircraft are deployed, with six more to be added later. In 2021, HMS Queen Elizabeth carried only eight British F-35Bs, reinforced at the time by a U.S. Marine Corps squadron of ten F-35Bs.

The Air Group also includes sixteen Merlin and Wildcat helicopters, which are primarily used for air surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, and liaison purposes. Furthermore, nine Malloy drones will be deployed for the intership transport of small cargo, as well as RQ-20 Puma unmanned aerial vehicles for intelligence gathering and reconnaissance. The commanding officer of the Prince of Wales, Captain Will Blackett, emphasizes that never before have so many aircraft and helicopters been deployed on a British aircraft carrier of this type.

The "Carrier Strike Group 25" (CSG 2025) unit, with approximately 2,500 sailors (up to 4,000 depending on the composition) under the command of Commodore James Blackmore, includes the carrier, the modern missile destroyer HMS "Dauntless," another British and a Norwegian combat ship, an "Astute"-class nuclear-armed submarine, and a supply ship. The unit is temporarily reinforced with destroyers and frigates, as well as another supply ship from Canada, Norway, Spain, and New Zealand.

The entire "Operation Highmast" will last until December 2025. It pursues several objectives. First, it is intended to demonstrate that the two British carrier battle groups have achieved full operational readiness, that its NATO commitments are being fulfilled, and that Great Britain is willing to fulfill its international obligations to safeguard the security of its sea lanes and prosperity, including in the Indo-Pacific region. The operation includes a large number of courtesy visits and bilateral and multilateral exercises.

These will begin with an air defense exercise with France before the formation enters the Mediterranean and, under NATO command, conducts an exercise with the Italian Navy and the aircraft carrier "Cavour." During "Highmast," the British F-35Bs will cooperate with other air forces and their F-35 fighter aircraft on various occasions.

It is currently unclear whether the battle group will participate in operations against the Houthi rebels after transiting the Suez Canal into the Red Sea ("East of Suez"). Transit through the southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab is considered dangerous. However, previous experience suggests that the CSG 2025 may well cooperate with the two American aircraft carriers, the USS "Harry S. Truman" and the USS "Carl Vinson," in the region.

Such opportunities don't arise very often. They are valuable and allow for the coordination and harmonisation of joint operations and procedures. In mid-July, the British unit will participate in the major US-Australian exercise "Talisman Sabre," which is intended to demonstrate the significant commitment to the AUKUS partnership (Australia, UK, USA). Six additional F-35Bs and the RFA "Argus," a support ship, will join the unit for additional support. This ship has a 100-bed hospital and a large flight deck for armed helicopters, which can fly limited missions against coastal targets. The "Argus" can also accommodate special forces.

Such operations not only require months of extensive preparation with intensive training segments, they are also extremely demanding logistically. While many repairs can be carried out using the unit's own resources, en route or in friendly ports, rapid delivery of spare parts and specialists, as well as mail and sometimes even crew members, is still necessary. For this purpose, the Royal Air Force will provide and operate an airlift using, among other aircraft, C-17 and A-400 transport aircraft. It is also conceivable that the unit will be supported during individual training phases of this extended deployment by P-8A "Poseidon" anti-submarine patrol aircraft, which will then likely be deployed to bases of friendly nations.

The demanding mission of the "Prince of Wales" battle group is also controversial in military circles. Some argue that, given its shrinking strength, the Royal Navy cannot afford to be without so many and so heavy ships for such a long period.

Indeed, the Royal Navy is dependent on reinforcements from allied navies. Furthermore, the critical security situation in Europe is highlighted and the fact that Great Britain, and especially the Royal Navy, should focus primarily on the possibility of a Russian adventure, particularly against the Baltic states, but also in northern Norway.

These arguments are contradicted by the stated goals and interests of the British political leadership. Both views offer valid reasons. But it is indeed courageous to expose the military's position in the European region in this way for a good nine months with "Operation Highmast." The expectation remains that the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence made a wise decision in balancing the benefits of this deployment with the threat posed to Europe.

Jürg Kürsener is a colonel in the General Staff and an expert in the maritime sector.