Carrier Strike Group vessels assemble as they head for massive exercise in Oz

Richard White – 4th July 2025 at 10:56am

HMS Prince of Wales leads CSG25 to exercise in Australia

Carrier Strike Group 25 has been joined by Australian frigate HMAS Sydney as the warships prepare to take part in Exercise Talisman Sabre.

Talisman Sabre 2025 will be the 11th and largest iteration of the exercise.

It will consist of a live-fire exercise, and field training exercises incorporating force preparation activities, amphibious landings, ground force manoeuvres, and air combat and maritime operations.

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Before linking up with CSG25, HMAS Sydney had been working with the Royal Navy’s offshore patrol vessel HMS Spey.

Leading CSG25 is HMS Prince of Wales, accompanied by Type 45 destroyer HMS Dauntless and RFA Tidespring.

One ship returning to the fold is is Canadian vessel, Ville de Quebec, which had been in Port Klang in Malaysia but has now rejoined CSG25.

Other vessels had temporarily broken away too.

HMS Richmond and Spanish frigate Méndez Núñez had previously gone ahead of the CSG and have been visiting the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.

HMAS Sydney is the latest vessel to sail alongside the carrier strike group as it heads to Australia (Picture: MOD)

HMS Prince of Wales crossed the Equator on 30 June and is in the Java Sea. The aircraft carrier has been hosting senior Indonesian defence officials during the passage and has been accompanied by Indonesian ship KRI Halasan.

On 23 June, the two ships carried out Freedom of Navigation Activity by sailing close to the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

These tiny islands are claimed by China and the passage was carried out in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, known as UNCLOS.

The area has recently been a conflict point between the Philippines and China, with routine incidents happening between the two countries.

CSG25 is well protected by the F-35Bs on board HMS Prince of Wales (Picture: MOD)

Prior to that, HMS Spey had transited the Taiwan Straits on 20 June. This was the first time a Royal Navy ship had passed through this strait since HMS Richmond in 2021.

Passage through the Taiwan Strait is considered highly provocative by the Chinese, but various navies periodically sail through the area to assert their right to use this route.

CSG25 is set to join Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025 off the northern coast of Australia in mid-July.

Following this, HMS Prince of Wales will sail to Japan for a visit in August.

It’s possible CSG25 will transit the South China Sea after visiting Japan – but it’s not yet clear if it will conduct any further Freedom of Navigation Activity near the Chinese-claimed islands.

For more reports about Carrier Strike Group 25, click here.

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