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UK sends aircraft carrier to strengthen NATO defenses
HMS Queen Elizabeth is scheduled to leave Portsmouth on September 5 for a three-month deployment around the United Kingdom and northern Europe with more than 800 sailors. The 65,000-tonne carrier will train with allies in its new role as NATO's afloat command platform for the Allied Reaction Force Maritime component, whose forces are designed to assemble within ten days for deterrence or crisis response. Britain assumed the year-long NATO maritime leadership on July 1, while the deployment also supports preparations for Queen Elizabeth to become the Royal Navy's high-readiness carrier in 2027.