Row over Chinese firm Huawei UK 5G could see Americans pulling plug on F-35 mission with HMS Queen Elizabeth
A POLITICAL falling-out between Britain and America could threaten the ability of HMS Queen Elizabeth to deploy with a full contingent of stealth jets, defence chiefs have been warned.
The United States has threatened to cancel long-planned deployments of American F-35s to Britain – which includes a mission on the Royal Navy’s £3.1bn supercarrier – over a row about the UK’s 5G communication strategy.
It comes after the UK government gave the green-light for Chinese tech firm Huawei to play a limited role in the roll-out of the nation’s 5G network.
US president Donald Trump is firmly against the move, which he said could jeopardise national security, and has demanded a change in strategy from Whitehall.
The war of words has since deepened, with US Republican senators now reportedly moving to ban new deployments of military aircraft with at-risk vendors in their 5G networks.
The situation has alarmed Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the UK’s defence committee, who has written to defence secretary Ben Wallace.
‘If passed, this would preclude the long-planned US Air Force deployment of F-35s at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, and could also bring into question the plans for HMS Queen Elizabeth to carry US Marine Corps F-35s,’ the letter said.
‘I am sure you agree with me that even the airing of such disagreements between us and our closest security ally is unhelpful in a time when global stability is at the lowest it has been for a generation.
‘I should therefore be grateful if you could clarify what the government is doing to ensure that this initiative is not pursued further.’
A squadron of US Marine Corps F-35s is due to embark on the 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier for her first operational mission next year.
The American jets will be joined by British F-35s from the RAF.
However, news of the potential change in plans has concerned maritime and defence expert Mike Critchley, who claimed Queen Elizabeth’s deployment could be impacted.
‘That’s over a year away and a lot can happen during this time but this situation wouldn’t be helpful at all,’ the former naval officer from Gosport added.
In March, a backbench rebellion within the Conservative party signalled efforts to overturn Huawei’s involvement in the new data network.
The government has banned Huawei from the most sensitive parts of the UK's mobile networks, and limited it to 35 per cent of the periphery, which includes its radio masts.But critics argue it is a security risk to allow the Chinese company to play any role at all because of fears it could be used by Beijing to spy on or even sabotage communications.
The situation prompted an open letter from the tech firm’s UK chief, Victor Zhang, who insisted cutting the tech giant’s involvement would leave Britain ‘stuck in a digital slow lane’.
‘There are those who choose to continue to attack us without presenting any evidence,’ he said.
‘Disrupting our involvement in the 5G rollout would do Britain a disservice.’