Drawing from the USNI’s July 25, 2021 article:
After months at sea already the HMS Queen Elizabeth(QE) Carrier Strike Group (CSG21) is making its way into the South China Sea. QE is RO8 at approximate position in the southern (Singapore) end of the Malacca Strait. China is seemingly aggro at the presence of QE, in the sense that China is spitting the dummy.
CSG21 has split into different elements following the conclusion of Exercise Konkan with the Indian Navy (held July 21-22 in the Bay of Bengal). Separately QE and its remaining surface escorts conducted a PASSEX Exercise on July 25 in the Malacca Strait with the Royal Malaysian Navy’s two Lekiu class frigates, KD Lekiu and KD Jebat.
KD Lekiu, QE and Netherlands frigate HNLMS Evertsen (background) at PASSEX exercise in the Malacca Strait, July 25. (Photo courtesy Malaysian Navy via USNI).
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CSG21 includes:
- Type 23 frigates HMS Richmond (conducted PASSEX exercise, July 24, in the
Andaman Sea with Thai frigate HTMS Kraburi) and HMS Kent
- Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender (on July 25 it docked at Muara Naval Base, Brunei)
- UK Royal Fleet Auxiliaries RFA Fort Victoria and RFA Tidespring
- the USN destroyer USS The Sullivans
- Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen and
- the SSN HMS Artful. (sighted midday July 25 travelling through the Singapore Strait
and heading to the South China Sea).
On the carrier QE is US F-35B Squadron 211 along with F-35Bs of the RAF’s 617 “The Dambusters.” F-35B Squadron.
QE is expected to dock in Singapore (already or soon).
China Spits Dummy
Seemingly calling the kettle black (given China's own aggressive military/naval activities in the South China Sea) Chinese Defence Spokesman Tan Kefei's, July 28 was reported as saying:
“The Chinese side believes that the South China Sea should not become a sea of great power rivalry dominated by weapons and warships. The real source of militarisation in the South China Sea comes from countries outside this region sending their warships [like the UK's CSG21] thousands of kilometres from home to flex muscles...
The UK elements of CSG21 are expected in October 2021 to take part in the (Indo-Pacific) Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) Bersama Gold exercise. Normally known as Bersama Lima, the annual sea and air exercise was renamed for this year to mark the golden anniversary of the FPDA, which comprises of Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and the United Kingdom.