According to information published by the UK Mod on January 11, 2022, the Royal Navy took charge of NATO’s most important task force with a ceremony aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales in Portsmouth.
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Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales (Picture source: Ad van de Sande)
For the next 12 months, it is responsible for leading the alliance’s Maritime High Readiness Force – an international task group formed to deal with major global events.
The most senior sea-going staff in the Royal Navy – Commander UK Strike Force, headed by Rear Admiral Mike Utley – takes charge of the force, with HMS Prince of Wales serving as NATO Command Ship, ready to deploy in support of NATO exercises and operations throughout the year.
Those will include major workouts for British and allied forces in the Arctic at the end of the winter, Baltic in the summer, and an extensive deployment to the Mediterranean in the autumn.
As well as a test of the battle staff, it will be the first test of HMS Prince of Wales since the carrier was declared fully operational at the beginning of autumn following two intensive years of trials and training.
Those eventful 12 months saw him pass out of Dartmouth before being assigned to HMS Prince of Wales for the past couple of months.
The ship is due to sail tomorrow, raising the curtain of a demanding year in the waters of the Atlantic, northern Europe, and the Mediterranean.
Royal Navy will lead naval involvement in Cold Response 22, a large-scale Norwegian-led NATO exercise that will be used to evaluate Rear Admiral Utley and his staff as the Commander of the NATO Response Force.
HMS Prince of Wales (R09) is the second Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier. Unlike most large aircraft carriers, Prince of Wales is not fitted with catapults and arrestor wires and is instead designed to operate V/STOL aircraft.
The ship is currently planned to carry up to 40 F-35B Lightning II stealth multirole fighters and Merlin helicopters for airborne early warning and anti-submarine warfare, although in surge conditions the class is capable of supporting 70+ F-35B.
The design emphasizes flexibility, with accommodation for 250 Royal Marines and the ability to support them with attack helicopters and troop transports up to and larger than Chinook size.
