Royal Navy warship HMS Dragon is heading to the Middle East ahead of a potential multinational Strait of Hormuz mission.
The Type 45 destroyer will forward deploy to ensure the UK can contribute to a future multinational mission to secure the critical waterway and safeguard freedom of navigation, following a sustainable ceasefire.
The move comes as tomorrow the UK and France host the first meeting of the Strait of Hormuz coalition of defense ministers.
HMS Dragon can use her Sea Viper missile system to help safeguard UK assets and interests – assisted by Wildcats from 815 Naval Air Squadron equipped with Marlet missiles able to deal with the aerial drone threat.
The Portsmouth-based warship left the UK in March and has been helping to safeguard the island of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean.
HMS Dragon’s Commanding Officer, Commander Iain Giffin, said: “I am proud that Dragon is playing such a prominent role in the UK’s presence in the region as part of a multi-national task force seeking to assure the freedom of navigation and restoring vital trade routes.
“Following our time defending Cyprus, Dragon has proven that she is ready and able to integrate with Tri-Service colleagues and international allies to conduct coordinated air defense and reassurance operations.
“Operating up threat from Cyprus, my crew have done an outstanding job maintaining a persistent state of readiness inside the high threat zone, poised to react and defeat anything threatening the Island.”
Tomorrow Defence Secretary John Healey MP will co-chair a meeting of over 40 nations, alongside his French counterpart, Minister Catherine Vautrin, for the multinational mission’s first Defence Ministers’ meeting.
The plan is strictly defensive and, once conditions allow, will focus on restoring confidence in commercial shipping along the critical trade route.
HMS Dragon could play a key role in this mission. The ship’s forward presence will help strengthen confidence among commercial shipping firms, support mine-clearance efforts, and protect vessels once hostilities have ceased.
A joint UK/France military HQ in the region will coordinate and command future operations to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The deployment follows HMS Dragon’s completion of rigorous weapons and sensor testing at a NATO facility off Crete, where the ship’s company honed their skills, including live firing, in realistic, high threat conditions to ensure readiness for operations in the region.
The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed, disrupting international shipping, including around one fifth of the world’s oil supply. This has driven up global energy prices, disrupted supply chains, and increased costs for households and businesses in the UK and around the world.