Royal Navy to expand patrols in Pacific Ocean, Starmer announces

The Prime Minister has laid retired plans for a greater naval beingness successful the Pacific arsenic helium prepares to extremity his sojourn to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) connected Saturday.

As helium met with his Singaporean counterpart, Sir Keir said the UK’s overseas argumentation cannot conscionable beryllium dealing with challenges adjacent to home, but besides helping to tackle the problems faced by allies further afield.

The larger naval beingness volition see much associated patrols crossed the world’s largest water to reenforce the information of its tiny land nations, respond to earthy disasters and combat amerciable fishing.

The patrols play into a strategy adopted by the UK successful caller years called the “Indo-Pacific tilt”, which is aimed astatine countering the increasing power of China and ensuring the West has a wide beingness successful the region.

“My sojourn to the Pacific this week has lone reinforced however important this portion of the satellite is to the United Kingdom’s prosperity and security, and I cognize crossed business, commercialized and defence, we play a captious relation successful supporting the portion too,” the Prime Minister said.

Sir Keir added: “As liable planetary players, we cannot crook a unsighted oculus to the challenges faced by our friends and partners connected the different broadside of the world, truthful my connection contiguous is clear: this is conscionable the opening of our committedness to the Indo-Pacific.

“Combining expertise, section cognition and investment, I genuinely judge we tin make unsocial opportunities for radical some successful the Pacific and astatine home, and successful doing so, we play our portion successful ensuring a safer, fairer world.”

The Royal Navy has precocious tally its first-ever antagonistic amerciable sportfishing patrols successful the Pacific alongside New Zealand and Fiji.

It present plans to widen this connection to different Pacific land countries to assistance them support maritime routes and their economies.

The UK has 2 patrol vessels persistently deployed successful the Indo-Pacific, including HMS Tamar, which has been providing information enactment astatine Chogm.

The Prime Minister met with the unit of the Tamar connected Friday, and heard astir their relation into responding to a mayday telephone from the Royal New Zealand Navy vessel HMNZS Manawanui, which sank aft moving aground connected a reef earlier successful October.

On Saturday, the Prime Minister met Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, pursuing the Defence Secretary John Healey hosting his Singaporean counterpart successful London connected Thursday.

Following the face-to-face meeting, the 2 leaders announced that arsenic portion of the UK’s Carrier Strike Group deployment to the Indo-Pacific successful 2025, HMS Prince of Wales volition sojourn Singapore successful a bid to fortify defence ties.

The UK meantime plans to grow its economical scope into the Pacific portion with a caller “Pacific Business Club” alongside the Australian Government.

Britain volition besides supply other currency to an inaugural aimed astatine protecting the tiny islands successful the water from the interaction of clime change.