What dangers will the Carrier Strike Group face on its deployment around the world?
HMS Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy's flagship, is set to lead the Carrier Strike Group 25 deployment – with a number of British warships set to join her on the mission.
But what threats might the group of vessels, Royal Navy, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and allied ships alike, face when taking on the deployment?
Well, one waterway the group will have to navigate is the Red Sea, a theatre that has seen attacks on British vessels from Houthis in the last 12 months.
Retired Commodore Steve Prest, who served as a weapons specialist on HMS Queen Elizabeth, told BFBS Forces News that while there are always uncertainties, the risks can be managed.
"HMS Dauntless, a Type 45 destroyer absolutely on top of her game, is an exceptional air defence asset," he said.
"HMS Richmond is there with Sea Ceptor missile systems, and they've been shown to be effective in that theatre.
"There have been Type 23 ships deployed into that area taking down stuff launched by the Houthis previously."
He said HMS Prince of Wales would be well defended by Royal Navy ships, adding the UK's "Norwegian chums will be there, providing escort duties as well".
"So there's a reasonably potent air defence package that's going with the Carrier Strike Group," he added.
He did concede that CSG 25 would not be able to provide all the things the US Navy could offer, but the strike group would nevertheless be able to "get through that theatre with a tolerable level of risk".
"The risks have been managed and there'll be good cooperation with other coalition forces in the area," he said.
"So the liaison with the Americans, for example, will be very, very strong and other nations who are participating in Operation Prosperity Guardian out there."
He also mentioned that drone boats, another potential threat, would be managed by the CSG's eyes in the sky – namely the helicopters embarking with the ships.
"You deal with them in the way that you would deal with any sort of threat, with good intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to try and spot them at range and deal with them at range," he said.
Cdre Prest also pointed out that there is one more option – moving the ships around any problems.
"One of the things about ships at sea is that you can manoeuvre them," he explained.
"So if you see something coming, you can go the other way, go round.
"There are some constrained waters down there, but there's still a bit of sea room and that gives options that perhaps you might not have elsewhere."
For more reports about Carrier Strike Group 25 click here.
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