Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Royal Navy ships are in the Middle East; and how many are tasked to the Middle East over the next 12 months.
The UK demonstrates our commitment to freedom of navigation though the forward deployment of the Frigate HMS Lancaster, supported by the Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) RFA Cardigan Bay, which regularly patrols the Gulf of Oman and through the Strait of Hormuz. In addition to this, three minehunter vessels; HMS Middleton, HMS Bangor, and HMS Chiddingfold are permanently stationed in the Gulf and help, along with allies, maintain the flow of global maritime trade. The RN remains agile and ready to react to any emerging threats and tailor deployments based on operational need.
We do not comment on future operations as to do so could, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness, or security of the Armed Forces.