Royal Navy officer defends UK warships' presence in the Indo-Pacific and says: 'We're here as a force for good and a force for peace'

Portsmouth-based patrol ships HMS Tamar and HMS Spey are on a five-year mission in the Far East as part of the navy’s new strategy to ‘forward-deploy’ ships across the globe.

The pair of warships are the navy's first permanent presence in the region since Britain withdrew from east of the Suez Canal in 1971.

HMS Spey is at the remote archipelago of Vanuatu, in the south Pacific, becoming the first British warship to visit in 46 years.

Meanwhile, Spey’s sister ship, HMS Tamar is in Singapore undergoing maintenance having just returned from Exercise Bersama Shield, which involved vessels from New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia.

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The presence of the British vessels followed HMS Queen Elizabeth’s maiden mission to the region last year with her strike group.

But it comes at a period of political tension between China and the West over the contested South China Sea, which saw Beijing issuing chilling warnings to Whitehall.

Lieutenant Commander Matt Millyard, Tamar’s executive officer and second in command, has defended the patrol ships’ presence in the Orient.

‘We're not a carrier, we're not a massive warship or an intimidating force, we're here as a force for good and a force for peace,’ he told The Strait Times in Singapore this week.

The naval officer said the Tamar’s primary role was maritime security, with the ship having already support a United Nations embargo against North Korea, preventing the illegal import of refined petroleum to the country.

The warship can also be made available for humanitarian support, able to deliver disaster relief supplies.

Earlier this year, Tamar’s sister ship, HMS Spey was scrambled to support Tonga, after it was hit by a tsunami following an underwater volcanic eruption in January. The vessel’s crew deliver 30,000 litres of bottled water and other aid.

Emsworth Engineering Technician Jack Parker, 24, was involved in the effort and said: ‘The Royal Navy has always been involved in humanitarian aid – you always see it in the Caribbean and this is the first time in a while we have had the chance to help in the Pacific. It is something we should do and I am glad to be helping.’

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