The UK Carrier Strike Group 25 – CSG25 for short – is a world-class international formation of Royal Navy warships, submarines and aircraft on an extended mission to far from home shores.

Conducting a series of joint military exercises with allies on land, sea, cyber and air, it demonstrates the UK’s high readiness to protect our interests and underpin global security.

Such a dramatic and complex deployment doesn’t just happen. This week’s launch of CSG25 is the culmination of months and months of painstaking planning, testing and evaluation.

Defence Equipment & Support is at the heart of this preparation, ensuring not only that the Group’s ships, jets, helicopters and other platforms are ready for deployment, but also making sure the minutiae, such as gauges, deck coverings and insulation, are ready and in place.

For example, in preparation for CSG25 DE&S, alongside Babcock Marine, brought forward planned work on HMS Richmond to ensure she remains ready to support the Task Group. In addition, the Type 23 frigate has had over 20 updates and upgrades, improving combat effectiveness, sustainability, and the lived experience of the ship’s company.

Here are some more ways we have supported – and continue to support – Carrier Strike Group 2025:

Spares

Our Maritime Spares team’s portfolio is vast and includes some critical equipment. Support to CSG25 has resulted in a requirement to provide circa 3,200 NATO Stock Numbers (NSNs) totalling 174,920 individual pieces of equipment valued at £1.4M.

This includes: hardware, catering and tableware, electrical equipment (inc. power transmission), heating, fans, power control and distribution equipment, indoor and outdoor lighting (including navigation), large and small domestic appliances, plumbing and bathroom equipment, valves, gauges, pumps and pressure testing equipment, janitorial supplies, carpets, cloths, canvas, awnings and deck coverings, ropes/cables, insulation, furniture, soft furnishings and mattresses, signs, labels, flags, laboratory equipment, chemicals, paints, adhesives, polymers, binoculars and whistles.

Equipment support

Support to CSG25 will be the ongoing in-service support of equipment such as Naval Medium Aircraft Towing Tractors (and fire fighting module), vacuum cleaners, ground power units, hydraulic test systems, aircraft washing rigs, nitrogen charging units, snow removal equipment, aircraft jacks, lifting equipment, and de-icing trailers.

SALMO (Salvage and Marine Operations)

Underwater Engineering – supporting biofouling management of all platforms ahead of the deployment to ensure world-wide environmental compliance and freedom of manoeuvre on the high seas for the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Marine Salvage Dive Team planned deployment to the far east in August ’25 to support HMS Prince of Wales’s Deployed Support Period – SALMO will provide two dive teams capable of heavy underwater engineering to support the whole CSG25, giving the operational commanders flexibility to rectify any identified operational defects.

Salvage Operations contingency planning support to operational incidents. SALMO remains at readiness throughout CSG25 to respond to any maritime incident.

SALMO attended the US Navy x Republic of Korea (RoK) Navy Salvage Exercise (SALEX) in RoK ahead of CSG25 to maintain interoperability and relations with allies and partners.

Defence Postal Services

We are responsible for the complete provision of official and personal mail for the CSG25, including servicing six units made up of over 2,200 personnel, for a period of eight months. This will provide a mail service to an anticipated 30+ locations across four continents.

Based of our modelling, we estimate that CSG25 will require approximately 4,600 bags of mail, totalling over 33 tonnes in weight.

Defence Courier Services

The Defence Courier Service is responsible for the timely movement of Protectively Marked Material (PMM) on behalf of Defence. Using our team of Defence Couriers PMM provision will be delivered to CSG25.

We will move PMM utilising our series of routine air and road courier schedules and, where this is not appropriate or urgency is required, a TORCS (Task Outside of Routine Courier Schedule) is utilised.

Due to the CSG25 modelling and anticipated number of locations, resilience has been bolstered by having military personnel on standby to step up as defence couriers.

Defence munitions

HMS Prince of Wales visited Glen Mallan Jetty to embark Weapons Ordinance Munitions & Explosives (WOME), in support of her operational programme. Our Defence Munitions team worked with agility, professionalism and collaboratively with the Prince of Wales and pan Defence Munitions teams to re-ammunition the aircraft carrier.