The Royal Navy Is Sending an Aircraft Carrier to Australia, But There’s A Problem

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Key Points: The Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, will make its first-ever port visit to Australia in 2025 as part of its Indo-Pacific deployment.

-Announced at the AUKMIN summit, the carrier will participate in Exercise Talisman Sabre, a major multinational drill involving 19 nations, showcasing the UK’s commitment to Indo-Pacific security and its partnership with Australia.

-Amid debates over defense spending, UK officials are addressing challenges to maintain two carriers amidst potential budget cuts.

-The deployment reinforces UK-Australia ties and highlights shared efforts to counter global security threats, including North Korea’s military support for Russia.

HMS Prince of Wales to Visit Australia in 2025 for Key Military Drill

The Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales – which recently became the senior service’s flagship – will make a port visit to Australia next year, and part in joint military drills with 19 international participants.

The announcement that the UK’s newest and most costly carrier would visit Australia was made at the AUKMIN summit in London on Tuesday.

“The UK Carrier Strike Group will also sail to Australia in 2025, in a further demonstration of the UK’s commitment Indo-Pacific security. HMS Prince of Wales will be the first Queen Elizabeth-class carrier to conduct a port visit to Australia. She will also participate in Exercise Talisman Sabre, a multinational exercise hosted by Australia involving nineteen nations,” the UK’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

“Together, the UK and Australia are putting pressure on countries around the world to deter military cooperation with Russia,” the MoD added. “This includes the deployment of troops by North Korea to Russia and their supply of munitions, arms and other materiel. Both countries recognise Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security are indivisible.”

Indo-Pacific Deployment

The port call to the land down under will be part of the carrier’s planned Indo-Pacific deployment. It follows a similar globetrotting trek made by HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2021. It will reaffirm the close ties between the UK and its former colony.

“The UK and Australia have a long and enduring friendship underpinned by close trade ties that are benefiting Brits and Aussies alike. The growth mission is the central mission of the government,” added UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy. “We want to go further to deepen our cooperation with countries like Australia to boost economic growth, build supply chain resilience and transition to net zero. Together, we are modernising our partnership, working to tackle the biggest challenges around the world and furthering our co-operation on defence, security and foreign policy matters.”

Can the UK Afford Two Aircraft Carriers?

It was also on Tuesday that Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Defence David Williams addressed concerns that one of the UK’s two carriers might need to be mothballed as the Labour government, which was elected in July’s general election, has sought to cut defense spending. There are been reports that the UK may have to choose between the carriers or slashing as many as 20,000 troops across the services.

The opposition has called for Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government to increase defense spending by 2.5% so that these cuts are not required.

(Oct., 17, 2019) The Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (RO 8) sails the Atlantic Ocean. HMS Queen Elizbeth is currently deployed in support of WESTLANT 19, which involves mission planning, arming the aircraft using the ship’s Highly Automated Weapon Handling System, flying missions and debriefing on completion. The first operational deployment for HMS Queen Elizabeth 617 Squadron and a squadron of US Marine Corps Lightning jets is due to take place in 2021. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nathan T. Beard/Released)

Last month, the MoD sought to free up 500 million pounds ($633 million) from the next five years of military budget by retiring several Royal Navy warships, sidelining an aging drone system, and grounding a few helicopters.

“These won’t be the last hard decisions I have to take,” said Minister of Defence John Healey, who added, “These decisions will provide better value for money, and ensure we are better positioned to modernise the UK defense and strengthen it.”

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Senior Editor focusing on defense issues for 19FortyFive. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,500 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on X: @PeterSuciu – and on Bluesky: @petersuciu.bsky.social.