Royal Navy: MoD confirms HMS Prince of Wales to be deployed to Australia bolstering Aukus Indo-Pacific ties

HMS Prince of Wales will become the first Queen Elizabeth-class carrier to conduct a port visit at the Oceanic nation. As well as diplomatic tasks, the ship’s company will take part in Exercise Talisman Sabre - with 19 nations all taking part.

Foreign secretary David Lammy said: “The UK and Australia have a long and enduring friendship underpinned by close trade ties that are benefiting Brits and Aussies alike. The growth mission is the central mission of the government. We want to go further to deepen our cooperation with countries like Australia to boost economic growth, build supply chain resilience and transition to net zero. Together, we are modernising our partnership, working to tackle the biggest challenges around the world and furthering our co-operation on defence, security and foreign policy matters.”

Ministers met at Lancaster House in London yesterday (December 16) to reinforce the defence partnership between the UK and Australia. Known as AUKMIN, the meeting saw the Australia foreign minister Penny Wong, and deputy prime minister and defence minister Richard Marles, discussion various topics with Mr Lammy and the UK de3fence secretary John Healey. The Ministry of Defence said the UK-Australia friendship matters even more due to a “turbulent world”, with both nations working together to secure international security in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic.

Defence secretary John Healey said: “Our unique and historic partnership with Australia is more important than ever in the face of increasing global threats.” He added that the AUKUS partnership and high-end military exercises will prove of great value. Both nations signed a trilateral defence trade deal with the United States in the summer, which was described as a breakthrough for economic prosperity, jobs and technology sharing.

The Aukus Submarine programme is expected to generate 7,000 jobs British jobs, with over 21,000 people at its peak on the SSN-Aukus programme across the UK defence supply chain businesses. In terms of military operations, HMS Prince of Wales will also be deployed to Japan and other parts of the Indo-Pacific region from the Spring of 2025, taking charge of a UK Carrier Strike Group.

The MoD said the UK and Australia are putting pressure on countries around the world to deter military cooperation with Russia. They added: “his includes the deployment of troops by North Korea to Russia and their supply of munitions, arms and other materiel. Both countries recognise Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security are indivisible. As one of the biggest financial supporters of Ukraine, the UK is pleased Australia will extend their training contribution to Operation Interflex to the end of 2025.”