Sawt Falasteen - UK to deploy aircraft carrier group to Arctic this year: PM 

"I can announce today that the UK will deploy our carrier strike group to the North Atlantic and the High North this year, led by HMS Prince of Wales, operating alongside the US, Canada and other NATO allies in a powerful show of our commitment to Euro-Atlantic security," Starmer told the Munich security conference.

The group will include warships, F-35 jets and helicopters in what has been dubbed "Operation Firecrest," the ministry of defence said in a statement.

It will be a "powerful show of force ... to deter Russian aggression and protect vital undersea infrastructure".

HMS Prince of Wales is the Royal Navy's largest warship and US aircraft are also expected to operate from its deck.

The operation will involve thousands of personnel from the army, navy and air force, the ministry statement added.

"The deployment will include activity under NATO's Arctic Sentry mission, launched this week, strengthening the Alliance's security in a region where melting sea ice is opening new routes and increasing threat from hostile state activity," the ministry said.

France has also announced that it will deploy its aircraft carrier group in the region in 2026.

Starmer told the Munich conference that Britain must be "ready to fight".

Leaders must not dither as "Russia has proved its appetite for aggression," he said.

"The road ahead is straight and it is clear. We must build our hard power, because that is the currency of the age," he added.

"We must be able to deter aggression , and, yes, if necessary, we must be ready to fight."

- 'Second front' -

The defence ministry said the deployment would reinforce "NATO's deterrence at a time of rising Russian threats in the region".

It added that "over the past two years, there has been a 30 percent increase in Russian navy vessels threatening UK waters".

German defence minister Boris Pistorius also warned that Russia and China were "getting ready to project military and economic power" in the Arctic.

"In the event of an escalation in Europe, Russia would most likely use its Northern Fleet to open a second front, cut transatlantic supply lines, and threaten both sides of the Atlantic with nuclear submarines," Pistorius told the Munich conference.

On Wednesday, the German minister announced that Berlin would send an initial four Eurofighter jets to take part in NATO's Arctic mission.

Trump said last month however that an understanding had been reached with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte that would give the United States greater influence in the mineral-rich and strategically placed territory.

L.AbuAli--SF-PST