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The UK’s naval presence in the Indo-Pacific
Ep. 73
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In this episode, Sounds Strategic host Meia Nouwens is joined by Nick Childs, Senior Fellow for Naval Forces and Maritime Security, to discuss the United Kingdom’s naval ambitions in the Indo-Pacific.
Following the First Sea Lord’s Sea Power Conference on 19 May 2021, Meia and Nick reflect on the UK’s Carrier Strike Group and its deployment to the Indo-Pacific region, discussing who the UK is looking to strengthen its relationships with, how China will react to the deployment and what the view from the region is more generally.
Meia and Nick also discuss how the Royal Navy can help small and medium powers manage grey-zone threats in the region, as well as how it is going to balance commitments to the Indo-Pacific and the Euro-Atlantic regions. With its limited resources, how prominent will the Royal Navy’s Indo-Pacific presence be in the near future?
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Date of recording: 26 May 2021
Sounds Strategic is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.
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