Britain to Permanently Deploy Two Warships in Asian Waters

Britain’s Defense Secretary Ben Wallace listens to Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the start of their meeting at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, July 20, 2021. (Reuters)
Britain’s Defense Secretary Ben Wallace listens to Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the start of their meeting at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, July 20, 2021. (Reuters)
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Britain to Permanently Deploy Two Warships in Asian Waters

Britain’s Defense Secretary Ben Wallace listens to Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the start of their meeting at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, July 20, 2021. (Reuters)
Britain’s Defense Secretary Ben Wallace listens to Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at the start of their meeting at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, July 20, 2021. (Reuters)

Britain said on Tuesday it would permanently deploy two warships in Asian waters after its Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier and escort ships sail to Japan in September through seas where China is vying for influence with the United States and Japan.

Plans for the high-profile visit by the carrier strike group come as London deepens security ties with Tokyo, which has expressed growing alarm in recent months over China’s territorial ambitions in the region, including Taiwan.

“Following on from the strike group’s inaugural deployment, the United Kingdom will permanently assign two ships in the region from later this year,” Britain’s Defense Minister Ben Wallace said in a joint announcement in Tokyo with his Japanese counterpart, Nobuo Kishi.

The British embassy in Tokyo did not immediately respond when asked which ports in the region the Royal Navy ships would operate from.

After their arrival in Japan, Kishi said, the Queen Elizabeth and its escort ships would split up for separate port calls to US and Japanese naval bases along the Japanese archipelago.

A close US ally, Japan hosts the biggest concentration of US military forces outside the United States, including ships, aircraft and thousands of marines.

The British carrier, which is carrying F-35B stealth jets on its maiden voyage, will dock at Yokosuka, the home of Japan’s fleet command and the USS Ronald Reagan, the only forward deployed US aircraft carrier.

The Queen Elizabeth is being escorted by two destroyers, two frigates, two support vessels and ships from the United States and the Netherlands.

It will come to Japan through the South China Sea, parts of which are claimed by China and South East Asian countries, with stops in India, Singapore and South Korea.

In a further sign of Britain’s growing regional engagement, Wallace, who traveled to Japan with a delegation of military commanders, said Britain would also eventually deploy a Littoral Response Group, a unit of marines trained to undertake missions including evacuations and anti-terrorism operations.



Russian Attack on Ukraine’s Poltava Region Injures Nine, Causes Power Cuts

 A US-made M113 armored personnel carrier runs on a road in the Donetsk region, on June 16, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
A US-made M113 armored personnel carrier runs on a road in the Donetsk region, on June 16, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
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Russian Attack on Ukraine’s Poltava Region Injures Nine, Causes Power Cuts

 A US-made M113 armored personnel carrier runs on a road in the Donetsk region, on June 16, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
A US-made M113 armored personnel carrier runs on a road in the Donetsk region, on June 16, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)

A Russian missile attack on Ukraine's east-central Poltava region on Monday injured nine people and damaged power lines, knocking out electricity for over 55,000 consumers, a regional governor said.

According to preliminary information, there were no fatalities, Filip Pronin said in a video address from the site posted on the Telegram app.

Several high-rise buildings were damaged, he said. Smoke rising from damaged garages could be seen in the background, while rescuers attempted to extinguish fires.

Pronin said later that due to damage to power lines, some 53,000 private and 2,400 industrial consumers faced power cuts. Earlier, Ukraine's air force announced a missile alert for the region.