Beginning in 2025, the United Kingdom, United States, and Japan are set to engage in regular trilateral military exercises within the Indo-Pacific region, aiming to bolster security and enhance interoperability among their armed forces, as announced by Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday.
The Indo-Pacific holds significant strategic importance for the UK, attributed to burgeoning economic ties with regional nations, notably India. The MoD highlighted the UK's ongoing engagement in various exercises within the area, with vessels like HMS Spey and HMS Tamar maintaining continuous deployment.
These trilateral exercises signify a continuation of past collaborative efforts among the three nations, reaffirming the UK's steadfast commitment to the Indo-Pacific.
Grant Shapps, the UK's Defence Secretary, stressed the importance of unity with allies in safeguarding democracy and freedom amid a volatile global landscape. Emphasizing that joint exercises send a robust message against threats to the rules-based international order, Shapps underscored the UK's readiness to counter any global challenges. He highlighted the critical role of a safe and stable Indo-Pacific in ensuring collective security and facilitating free trade and travel, underscoring the UK's strong partnerships with Japan and the US.
This latest development follows Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's signing of the Atlantic Declaration with US President Joe Biden and the Hiroshima Accord with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last year. Both agreements commit the UK to enhancing defense cooperation with each nation, particularly focusing on bolstering collective security and mutual prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
In the coming year, the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales will lead a Carrier Strike Group (CSG) to the region, conducting various operations and exercises alongside partners and allies, including a port visit to Japan. This deployment follows the successful mission of its counterpart, HMS Queen Elizabeth, to the region in 2021.
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