UK aircraft carrier visits Sweden

Swedish Armed Forces – 5 October 2023 kl: 14.44
Archived news

On 13 October, HMS Queen Elizabeth arrives in Gothenburg, Sweden. The naval visit is part of the UK-led defence cooperation framework Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), comprising ten countries, that Sweden has been a member of since 2017.

Aircraft carrier HMS Elizabeth out at sea
Aircraft carrier HMS Elizabeth out at sea
HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest and most powerful vessel ever constructed for the Royal Navy, measuring 280 meters in length. Photo: Royal Navy
HMS Queen Elizabeth out at sea
Photo: Royal Navy

"One of the JEF defence cooperation framework’s major strengths is the capability of rapid reaction in case of a major crisis. The JEF can act independently in its own right, or in support of Nato", says Carl-Johan Edström, commander of Operational Command at the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters.

During the naval visit, several joint exercises between Swedish naval and air combat forces and their UK equivalents will be conducted, at the Swedish west coast and in the Baltic Sea. For example, the UK frigate HMS Kent takes part in the Navy’s autumn exercise that starts next week. On 13 October, a JEF meeting with heads of state and government is planned to take place in Visby on the island of Gotland.

"The west coast with its ports, and the Baltic Sea inlets are examples of areas of strategic importance to be protected jointly within the JEF", says Navy Commander Ewa Skoog Haslum.

HMS Queen Elizabeth is the largest and most powerful vessel ever constructed for the Royal Navy. She is capable of carrying up to 40 aircraft and helicopters, i.a. F35 Joint Strike Fighter fast jet. The vessel measures 280 metres in length, with a top speed of more than 25 knots and a displacement of 65 000 tonnes. The crew is comprised of some 1,600 soldiers and sailors.

HMS Queen Elizabeth will be in Gothenburg for about a week.

This is the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF)

The JEF is a UK-led defence cooperation framework between ten countries. The coalition comprises Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK, and is primarily intended to be used for operations in the Baltic Sea area, North Atlantic and the Arctic.

The JEF is capable of acting independently in its own right or in support of Nato or the UN. The JEF is a rapid reaction force that can be rapidly deployed in times of crisis or war. Together with nine other nations, the Swedish Armed Forces is to be capable of acting quickly if security is threatened in the Baltic Sea region, for example.

The JEF started 2014 as the UK’s contribution to Nato’s Framwork Nation Concept. The JEF has been fully operational since 2018. Sweden has been part of the JEF framework since 2017.