b'CARRIER STRIKE GROUP 2021 IMPACT REPORT 2021Coming a close second after the enduring provision of the Continuous at Sea Nuclear Deterrent (provided by the nations nuclear ballistic missile submarines), the Royal Navys other key focus in 2021 was the first operational deployment of the Fleet Flagship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, and her Carrier Strike Group. The aircraft carrier (with embarked F35B Lightning aircraft from the UK and USA, helicopters from the Royal Navy and the Joint Helicopter Command, as well as a force of Royal Marines) was at the heart of a potent Task Group of Royal Navy warships, RFA support ships, a nuclear-powered submarine, along with warships from the US Navy and Royal Netherlands Navy.This CSG21 deployment operated around the world, including the Eastern Mediterranean, the Black Sea, Arabian Sea, South China Sea and the northern end of the Pacific When the Group departed UK waters in May 2021, manyThere is a great saying of the sailors and marines had already been embarked for many weeks to comply with COVID protocols, and no one recruit the person, butwas in any doubt that the scale and complexity of this massively ambitious operational deployment was going to retain the family and therebe hard but rewarding work. There was to be the opportunity CARRIER STRIKE GROUP 2021 of contributing to coalition air operations in Syria against is no time that this is moreDaesh, reinvigorating our relationships with our global strategic partners across the globe, exercising at sea and in The pinnacle of British Defence and Security Policy ambition for the 21st Century was theimportant than when athe air with other like-minded nations, all the while sending reintroduction of big deck Carrier Strike to the Royal Navy for the first time in over a decade, a message to other nations who were watching that the enabling the UK to once again use the convening authority of world leading hard power, in orderserving parent or partner isUK remains a global power, able to operate militarily, to deliver soft power, and engage in a serious diplomatic and military way with our allies anddeployed at sea. diplomatically and economically on the international stage.partners on the other side of the world.Taking place from May to December 2021, in the heightBeing such a major undertaking, CSG21 took years to plan, of the COVID19 pandemic, the first operational deployment of HMS Queen Elizabeth, and herand months to prepare for.However, the long planning multinational Task Group, to the Indo-Pacific region and back again was known as OperationOcean, with an intent to operate at sea and over landwindow enabled the RNRMC to ensure that the sailors, FORTIS (or CSG21). The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity is proud of its investment ineverywhere they went, and visit to (and engage with) overmarines and aviators who took part, and their families at home, were valued and supported throughout. When we say many aspects of the lives of her Task Groups sailors, marines and their families and hopes40 countries along the way to the furthest point of call - ourvalued and supported we mean that we fulfilled our primary that this helped in some small way to reinforce the success of this exceptional deployment, infriends in Japan. mission for the serving population - namely to ensure the uncertain and unsettling times.26 27'