The Chief of the Air Staff has said the UK Government has “absolute utility” to act on the threat of Russia with the Carrier Strike Group.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston told the PA news agency he received valued advice from admirals who said “never ever expect a carrier deployment to go to plan” ahead of HMS Queen Elizabeth embarking on its maiden voyage.
The Ministry of Defence has said the F35B stealth fighter jets on board the £3 billion warship will join Operation Shader to fight the remnants of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria – but Sir Mike said of the Russian threat: “Anything is possible and the world is an increasingly unstable place.”