The UK Carrier Strike Group (CSG), centred on HMS Prince of Wales, has reached Full Operating Capability (FOC), meaning all its parts are ready to operate on front-line duties wherever required.
According to the Royal Navy, the declaration comes at the tail end of an eight-month global operation that took the task group into the Indo-Pacific to operate with regional allies and partners. Specifically, Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales and its air wing of F-35 fighter jets carried out the first of two major Mediterranean workouts under NATO command.