Today at 12:03
The Royal Navy’s aircraft carrier, Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain, is undertaking its first voyage under the command of the North Atlantic Block as part of joint exercises called “Neptune Strike.”
This information is reported by the official page of the British fleet.
“The control of the aircraft carrier ‘Queen Elizabeth’ and the British Carrier Strike Group (UKCSG), consisting of the frigate ‘Kent,’ destroyer ‘Diamond,’ aviation, including F-35B ‘Lightning’ fighters, helicopters ‘Wildcat’ and ‘Merlin,’ and support ships, was transferred to NATO to create a powerful operational-tactical group capable of operating across a large territory from the Mediterranean to the Baltic Sea and from north to south,” the statement said.
In addition, under NATO command, three UKCSG aircraft carriers will be in the North Sea, the Italian ITS Cavour in the Mediterranean Sea, and the Spanish ESP Juan Carlos, combining the most modern forces ready to defend every centimeter of airspace, waterways, and Alliance territory.
“The restraint and defense of the Euro-Atlantic area are at the core of NATO’s activities, and our enhanced vigilance through ‘Neptune Strike’ is a vivid confirmation of that. It is the first time in my memory that a British aircraft carrier strike group is under NATO command, so this is a very important event for Great Britain and for the Alliance,” emphasized Commander James Blackmore, the commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group.
In total, military ships from 21 countries will participate in NATO joint exercises, under the direct command and control of the Alliance’s Naval Forces. The exercises will conclude on November 10.
It is worth noting that with the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the North Atlantic Alliance reevaluated security challenges and had to transform its strategy in response to new potential threats from Russia. As a result, a clear plan of action was developed in the event of an escalation of confrontation.
In June of this year, NATO conducted the largest military air defense exercises in the Alliance’s history, based on the European continent – “Air Defender 23” Approximately 250 aircraft and over 10,000 military personnel participated in the exercises.
