Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has defined the regular drumbeat of Carrier Strike Group operations in the Indo-Pacific.

The UK is committed to a greater persistent presence in the Indo Pacific. This year's Carrier Strike Group deployment to the Indo Pacific is just one example of the more confident, UK-led, highly technological, and internationally partnered effort to strengthen our alliances and national interests in a region critical to global peace and prosperity.

HMS Spey and HMS Tamar arrived in the Indo-Pacific in October where they will remain, forward-deployed on a permanent basis. In addition, planning has begun for the forward-deployment of a Littoral Response Group to the region from 2023.

Carriers are key strategic assets and their deployment plans will depend on threat as well as the Government’s engagement and security priorities.