NATO flexes its naval muscles in a warning to Putin: the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales leads the international fleet and takes part in the alliance’s largest exercise in decades

Britain’s HMS Prince of Wales is pictured leading a NATO fleet as the military alliance conducts its largest joint exercise in decades.

The Royal Navy aircraft carrier, which cost £3.5 billion to build, led fourteen ships in formation through an exercise in the North Sea as part of the Nordic Response 24 exercise, designed to train the alliance’s ability to strengthen Europe’s northern borders.

The 65,000-ton ship was flanked on Wednesday by the US destroyer USS Paul Ignatius and Spain’s ESPS Almirante Juan de Borbon frigate as Swedish and Finnish fighters flew overhead.

The strike group will operate around Norway’s icy fjords through Friday, practicing defensive maneuvers and amphibious landings to “recapture allied territory.”

Exercise Nordic Response 24 is part of the broader Exercise Steadfast Defender 24, NATO’s largest exercise since the Cold War, bringing together more than 90,000 troops from all 32 countries to train jointly as the war moves closer to Europe amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

HMS Prince of Wales leads the formation of fifteen ships on March 13, 2024 through exercises that continue until Friday

Behind the Prince of Wales were the British HMS Portland, the German HNLMS. Karel Doorman, the Norwegian HNoMS Magnus Lagabøte, the British RFA Tidespring, HNoMS Olav Tyrggvason, the Italian aircraft carrier ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi and the French frigate FS Normandie.

Pictured behind them were RFA Mounts Bay, the Norwegian frigate HNoMS Otto Sverdrup, HNoMS Gnist, the Norwegian Kv Bjornoya and the German supply ship FGS Bonn.

Aircraft taking part in the flypast were six Finnish F18 and two Swedish JAS-39.

Land, sea and air exercises will take place along Norway’s Arctic coast through Friday, involving more than 20,000 troops, more than 50 frigates, submarines and other ships, and some 110 fighter jets, helicopters and other aircraft .

Norwegian Armed Forces said Most activity occurred between March 3 and 14, starting at Bjerkvik and central Troms, and extending northeast to Alta and central Finnmark.

‘During the winter there was also a widespread Allied military presence in Northern Norway, with training, preparations and various Allied exercise activities.

“This has been done to ensure that Allied forces are as prepared as possible to train in Scandinavian winter conditions.”

More broadly, Steadfast Defender will involve as many as 90,000 troops from all 32 NATO allies, joining U.S. forces in European militaries in Europe between January and May 2024 to “demonstrate NATO’s ability to use every inch of its to defend territory, and the commitment of NATO Allies to protect each other against any threat’.

It comes at a time of heightened concern for NATO members, with Russia continuing its war in Ukraine and former President Trump, who is seeking re-election, proverb he would not defend NATO allies against Russia if they did not comply with his idea of ​​contributing sufficient defense spending.

HMS Prince of Wales departed in February after a short delay to lead the group, filling in for HMS Queen Elizabeth after final checks revealed a problem with the propeller shaft.

But senior naval figures still fear that HMS Prince of Wales, which cost £3.5 billion to build, could be mothballed or sold for a cheap price to a friendly nation, above the fleet’s flagship, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, as Britain struggles to justify additional defense funding.

The Ministry of Defense has not confirmed whether HMS Prince of Wales will take over all planned duties from its sister ship while it undergoes repairs.

British-led Carrier Strike Group merges with NATO Amphibious Task Group and additional Norwegian naval units for a PHOTEX 13 Mar 24

F-35 B Lightning jets from 617 Squadron positioned in the cockpit of HMS Prince of Wales at sunrise during exercise NORDIC RESPONSE 24 (File)

But HMS Prince of Wales also broke down in August 2022, a day after departing on a diplomatic mission to conduct exercises with the US Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and US Marine Corps.

The aircraft carrier came to a stop off the Isle of Wight and was taken back to port under tow to identify the problem.

Inspections by divers and engineers revealed that the aircraft carrier’s 33-ton starboard propeller – the same weight as 30 Ford Fiesta cars – had failed, with a coupling holding it in place broken.

HMS Prince of Wales was taken to Babcock Shipyard where she was built at Rosyth, Fife, to undergo repairs to a propeller shaft, which took nine months.

At that time, HMS Queen Elizabeth was available to stand in for the Prince of Wales.