As part of the La Perouse 25 exercise, the Charles de Gaulle Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is already in Southeast Asia to participate with allied countries in a series of activities divided into three phases. These activities are part of a broader deployment currently being carried out by the French Navy in Asia as part of Clemenceau 25, which aligns with the country’s adopted strategy for the Indo-Pacific region.
As the leader of the exercises, the Marine Nationale’s Strike Group consists of the destroyer FS Forbin (D620), the frigates FS Provence (D652) and FS Alsace (D656), the tanker FS Jacques Chevallier (A725), and a Suffren-class nuclear-powered attack submarine. This fifth edition of the exercise includes the participation of naval forces from nine countries: the Indian Navy, Indonesia, Singapore, the Royal Australian Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, and the United States. For Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, this marks their first participation in La Perouse.
As mentioned earlier, the La Perouse 25 exercise takes place in three different locations: the Strait of Malacca, the Sunda Strait, and the Lombok Strait. These locations are considered the three most critical straits, making the deployment focused on strengthening maritime security between the French Navy and its regional and international partners. The statement indicates that participants in the exercise will train in searches and interventions on vessels suspected of illicit activities, with some of the participating ships assuming the role of suspect vessels.
So far, the phases in the Malacca and Sunda Straits have already been carried out, featuring activities such as air defense, live-fire drills, interception, and boarding operations. In the Sunda phase, two Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) of the Marine Nationale participated. For the next and final phase to be held in Lombok, the Carrier Strike Group is expected to train with an Indian Navy destroyer, INS Mumbai (D62), the destroyer HMAS Hobart (DDG39), the RCN frigate HMCS Ottawa (FFH341), the RN offshore patrol vessel HMS Spey (P234), and the US Navy littoral combat ship USS Savannah (LCS-28).
It should be noted that the Marine Nationale’s Indo-Pacific deployment is part of Clemenceau 25, a deployment that aligns with the country’s strategic objectives concerning the Indo-Pacific region. In this regard, after departing in late November 2024, the CSG made its first port call in India, specifically in the locations of Goa and Kochi, where they conducted various activities such as at-sea replenishment, helicopter exercises, and air defense drills with Rafale, Sukhoi, and Jaguar fighter jets from the Indian Air Force.
Once the La Perouse phase is completed, the Charles de Gaulle Strike Group is expected to operate in the South China Sea before conducting the Pacific Steller exercise in the Philippine Sea with US, Australian, Canadian, and Japanese forces. In this context, it is likely that the French CSG will carry out operations with the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, which is currently operating in the South China Sea and is the only US Navy CSG deployed in the Western Pacific.
You may also like: An ATL2 aircraft of the French Navy monitored the navigation of the Russian Navy’s Yantar ship in the Mediterranean
