Overview

• Operation Highmast, led by HMS Prince of Wales, will involve nearly 4,000 personnel from the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, and British Army during an eight-month deployment.
• The carrier strike group will participate in NATO's Exercise Neptune Strike in the Mediterranean before heading to the Indo-Pacific for joint exercises, including Exercise Talisman Sabre near Australia.
• Advanced military assets, including up to 24 F-35B fighter jets, will be deployed to reinforce the UK's strategic deterrence and operational capabilities.
• Twelve allied nations, including Norway, which is providing a warship, will support the deployment, emphasizing multinational military collaboration.
• The mission aims to bolster UK trade and industry through strategic port visits and trade events in Singapore, Japan, and India, reflecting the region's critical importance to British economic interests.