New Zealand Warship Links Up With UK Carrier Strike Group For Combined Operation
The United Kingdom's Carrier Strike Group – spearheaded by the Royal Navy's flagship, HMS Prince of Wales – has been bolstered on the Indo-Pacific phase of Operation Highmast with the arrival of HMNZS Te Kaha.
HMNZS Te Kaha, fresh from the New Zealand–led CTF 150 maritime security patrols, including counter narcotic operations, joined up with the multi-nation group in the Indian Ocean last week.
Over the course of Operation Highmast, 13 nations will deploy vessels, aircraft and more than 4,500 military personnel to support the task group which formed in the English Channel in late April.
The nations include NATO allies from Canada, Denmark, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United States, and partners from New Zealand, Australia, India, Japan, and South Korea, operating alongside each other to build combat readiness and interoperability between the participating nations' navies at sea.
The Royal New Zealand Navy's Maritime Component Commander, Commodore Shane Arndell, said being part of the strike group will provide Te Kaha with further opportunities to increase its combat readiness by testing its capabilities in a significant multi-nation strike group operation.
'The ship already has runs on the board since leaving New Zealand in February and successfully completing a two-month deployment working for the Coalition Maritime Forces Task Force 150 in the Arabian Sea, so they'll be hitting the ground running. Being able to work collaboratively with our global partners and demonstrate maritime interoperability is critical for us as a nation, and Operation Highmast will deliver some key outcomes for our Navy and New Zealand Defence Force.'
The UK-led strike group will spend the next part of its deployment involved in a string of major exercises, and interaction with like-minded allies and partners throughout Asia and the western Pacific rim, which includes numerous high-profile port visits.
"It's fantastic to have our New Zealand friends with us as we look to develop our combined operational capabilities,' said Commodore James Blackmore, Commander UK Carrier Strike Group. 'It was a privilege to visit HMNZS Te Kaha when she joined the Strike Group. Having such a professional crew integrating with us as we reinforced the rules based international order in the Indo-Pacific will certainly enhance our outputs.'
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