Thanks for telling me what I thought instead of letting me think what I thought... You may have noticed I put some of the quote in bold - that, along the article about US carriers not long being present in the Arabian Gulf all the time as the NATO theatre is a priority again, and the article about HMS
Queen Elizabeth undertaking NATO activities, might indicate that I am not one of those fools who think that we must send everything to the South China Sea.
On that note:
Five carriers deployed around Europe – including HMS Queen Elizabeth – demonstrates NATO unity and resolve - Royal Navy
From the cold grey expanses of the North Atlantic and northern waters to the warmer confines of the Adriatic and azure Mediterranean, five of the most powerful warships in the alliance – plus their supporting carrier strike groups – are deployed, training or exercising as part of their regularly scheduled activities.
Although each nation’s forces are operating in support of their own mission objectives, the advanced cooperation is part of a demonstration of NATO unity and the collective defence of the Alliance.
The five carriers are:
• HMS Queen Elizabeth – currently in the North Sea ahead of NATO/Joint Expeditionary Force exercises/training in northern European waters
• USS George H W Bush – on operations in the Adriatic
• USS Gerald R Ford – at anchor in Stokes Bay, Gosport, on a short visit to Portsmouth
• France’s FS Charles de Gaulle and Italy’s ITS Cavour – both in the Mediterranean
In addition, it’s continuing to operate its four core task groups – Standing Mine Countermeasures Groups 1 and 2, Standing Maritime Groups 1 and 2 – with the latter recently working with HMS Albion’s Littoral Response Group (North) in the Adriatic.
Deterrence is a constant endeavour.