ABOARD AIRCRAFT CARRIER HMS PRINCE OF WALES (R09) – The U.K.’s carrier force is close to achieving full operational capability as the Royal Navy’s second aircraft carrier has operated for months at sea as part of a Pacific deployment. Talisman Sabre also saw the U.K. CSG conduct dual carrier operations with the George Washington CSG in the Timor Sea. In September, the U.K. CSG went on to conduct additional interoperability exercises with South Korean, Japanese, U.S, Australian and Canadian units. “Having the carrier strike group coming through the Indo-Pacific together with multiple ministers really signals the importance of the Indo-Pacific to U.K. foreign policy, trade and investment,” Mehta said. The U.K. CSG will then head into the Mediterranean to operate under the NATO command and will work closely with the Italian Navy.