Britain could permanently deploy a major warship to the Indo-Pacific, under plans being discussed in Whitehall.
Military chiefs are determined to strengthen the UK’s armed forces in Asia, despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlighting the weaknesses of British land forces in Europe.
Discussions are being held about permanently stationing at least one Type-31 frigate in the Indo-Pacific — a move that would reverse five decades of declining British military power east of Suez.
Rishi Sunak’s foreign policy review this year concluded that Russia remained the most acute threat to the UK, but it identified China as an “epoch-defining challenge”.
“Given what’s happening in Ukraine, it’s only a matter of time before Russia becomes a hollowed-out state,” one defence source said. “The future is
