The battleship is one of seven brand-new, state-of-the-art Astute-class submarines, which cost £1.3 billion and are the biggest and most potent submarines ever operated by the United Kingdom’s naval warfare force. At a time when the Alliance’s members were working together more closely due to Russia’s conflict on Ukraine, it undertook drills with NATO partners such as Greece, Turkey, and the United States.
After being formally commissioned in September 2021 and spending months submerged in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Seas, the HMS Audacious finally joined her sisters, HMS Astute, Ambush, and Artful, on the front lines in January of last year.
Once in the Mediterranean, the submarine’s capacity to avoid detection, track, and engage her enemies both above and below the surface was put to the test, giving NATO allies the chance to prove their mettle against a nuclear assault submarine.
For many navies, who were trying to track down Audacious below the waters, this was a somewhat infrequent training opportunity.
“These exercises helped HMS Audacious to demonstrate her prowess as the newest, most capable SSN that the UK has to offer while also strengthening NATO capability and interoperability and demonstrating our resolve towards NATO Missions,” said Commander Jim Howard, the HMS Audacious’s commanding officer.
The exercises come as the North Atlantic Alliance commits to work on a “combat-ready presence” in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s conflict, which was followed by a period of NATO operations during which the HMS Audacious supplied security to the area.
Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of NATO, stated on Tuesday that the Alliance needed to develop “even higher readiness” and bolster its weaponry along its eastern border.
Prior to a June 29–30 NATO summit in Spain, he had informal meetings in the Netherlands with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the leaders of Denmark, Poland, Latvia, Romania, Portugal, and Belgium. He said: “We will come to terms in Madrid with a significant strengthening of our stance.
The NATO head agreed that Kyiv should be given access to more heavy armament in response to a request for extra long-range weapons made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier that day, but he gave no further information.
“In terms of weaponry, we stand unified here that it is essential for Russia to lose the battle,” Dutch Prime Minister Rutte stated.
And while NATO forces and Russian forces cannot directly clash, we must ensure that Ukraine is equipped to wage war and has access to all essential weapons.
The Alliance revealed it has approximately 40,000 troops under its direct command, mostly on the eastern border, during a meeting of defence ministers on Thursday.
To “guarantee that we can defend every inch of Allied land,” Mr. Stoltenberg said, allies will decide on the scope of their stance over time.
The NATO partners are “prepared to continue to provide enormous, unprecedented support” to the war-torn country, he added, applauding Washington’s decision to send an additional $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
According to the US, the most recent delivery contains anti-ship missile launchers, howitzers, and additional rounds for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which US forces are currently using to train Ukrainian servicemen.
Since Moscow’s full-scale offensive started in late February, this help represents the greatest single shipment of weapons and gear.
The US will send an additional $225 million in humanitarian relief to offer safe drinking water, medical supplies, food, healthcare, housing, and money for families to purchase necessities, according to President Joe Biden, who spoke with Mr. Zelensky on the phone on Wednesday.
