UK to permanently deploy two warships in Asia Pacific

"Plans for the high-profile visit by the UK carrier strike group come as London deepens security ties with Tokyo amid tensions in the South China Sea."

This strikes me as sort of a big deal, it being a permanent deployment and all. That's quite a commitment. And yet it's a story that doesn't seem to be getting much attention.

"The British carrier, which is carrying F-35B stealth jets on its maiden voyage, will dock at Yokosuka, the home of Japan’s fleet command and the USS Ronald Reagan, the only forward-deployed US aircraft carrier."

That's right in our neighborhood.

"The British ships will not have a permanent base, a spokesperson at the British Embassy in Tokyo said when asked which ports the Royal Navy ships would operate from."

So, a permanent deployment, but not a permanent base. That strikes me as a political, bureaucratic dodge of sorts. If it's a permanent deployment, they will have a de facto permanent base, even if it's not defined as such on paper.