Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment was undertaken of the technical, mechanical and operational strength of the Type 45 destroyers prior to the current Carrier Strike Group deployment to the South China Sea.

Prior to embarking on any operational deployment, all units undertake a rigorous Force Generation and assurance process to ensure they are ready for operations.

Both HMS DEFENDER and HMS DIAMOND completed the final stages of this process with the Carrier Strike Group (CSG) during Exercise STRIKE WARRIOR in May 2021, before proceeding on the maiden CSG deployment.