Operation Highmast is led by the British aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales and gathers military personnel from 13 countries. The eight-month mission includes exercises and port visits in countries such as the USA, India, Singapore, and Malaysia. The aim is to strengthen regional security while deepening cooperation between participating countries.
– It is in Sweden's interest to strengthen defense policy cooperation with partner countries in the Indo-Pacific region. This increases our activity and gives us the opportunity to gain new knowledge about the security policy dynamics in the area, says Defense Minister Pål Jonson in a press release from the Ministry of Defense.
The Swedish contribution is carried out within the framework of the defense policy orientation for cooperation with partner countries in the region, which was decided by the government in the summer of 2024. Military presence is one of three prioritized areas within the orientation, in addition to defense policy relations and defense materiel, innovation, and technology cooperation.
The British carrier strike group is expected to leave Portsmouth on April 22 and will begin the mission with exercises in the Mediterranean under NATO's leadership. The unit will then proceed to the Pacific area where they will participate in, among other things, Exercise Talisman Sabre together with 19 partner nations.
The carrier strike group is led by HMS Prince of Wales and includes, among other things, two British squadrons with F-35B, in addition to several ships and submarines. Several countries also contribute with materiel, including Norway participating with a frigate throughout the period and the logistics vessel KNM Maud during parts of the route.