Royal Navy: MoD minister explains UK working in Indo-Pacific ahead of HMS Prince of Wales Japan deployment

Lord Vernon Coaker, a Labour peer in the House of Lords, visited the Republic of Korea and Vietnam last week for the Summit on Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain. Co-hosted by the UK in Seoul, international discussions were held about the use of AI in the military - which could potentially change the nature of warfare in the future.

Dignitaries then met at the UN Command Defence Minster Meeting. The UN Command is a multinational group, established to support the Republic of Korea’s security during and after the Korean War. Lord Coaker met with Vice Defence Minister Seon ho Kim to discuss the UK’s partnership with South Korea.

“Our security at home in the UK is inextricably linked to stability in the Indo-Pacific,” Lord Coaker said. “That’s why it’s more important than ever that we continue to work with regional partners and allies to support global security and stand up for international laws and norms. That’s exactly what I’ve been doing in Seoul and Hanoi, and it’s been an honour to visit so early in my post to discuss our cooperation on the opportunities and challenges we face.”

Lord Vernon Coaker visited the demilitarized zone to speak to UK Royal Marines who conducted exercises with ROK Armed Forces, with both allies working together for years to maintain peace in the region since the Korean War. As part of future operations in the region, HMS Prince of Wales will be deployed to Japan in 2025. She will be at the head of a UK Carrier Strike Group - exercises are planned with several UK allies including AUKUS partners.

Royal Navy sailors deployed on HMS Spey trained with the Korean Navy in April. Lord Coaker also visited Vietnam to co-chair the fifth annual UK-Vietnam Defence Policy Dialogue. Discussions were made with with Vice Minister Chien on defence and security cooperation - marking 50 years of diplomatic ties with the UK and Vietnam. Ministers are supporting the Southeast Asian nation in developing as a UN Troop Contributing Nation, helping with deployments since 2018. This includes missions in South Sudan and Abyei by medical and engineering personnel. Soldiers from the British Army’s 8 Engineer Brigade were greeted by the minister after training with Vietnam personnel.