France's strategy in the Indo-Pacific
Audio 02:31
Rear Admiral Jean Mathieu Rey, Commander of the Pacific Zone.
© French Navy
By: Franck Alexandre
6 mins
The mission of the French Navy "
Joan of Arc
", which every year allows cadets to do their internship, has set sail for Japan.
Next week, the amphibious helicopter carrier "Tonnerre" accompanied by the frigate "Surcouf" will participate off Okinawa in an exercise with the Japanese Navy and the US Navy.
In recent years, France has been strengthening its military presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
A region which is the scene of major strategic changes.
Publicity
Before the deputies, on February 19, the Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly had not used circumlocution about the People's Republic of China. "
This one
", she had said, "
no longer hesitates to flout the rules of free movement on the seas
". And the Minister of the Armed Forces to evoke the tensions in the China Sea, but "
Beijing
" had specified Florence Parly "
also invests massively in the Indo-Pacific
»Including in the French pre-square. Because the Indo-Pacific is seven of the thirteen overseas departments, regions and communities, 1.5 million French nationals live there ... And from Tahiti, where he commands the maritime zone of the Pacific Ocean, the Admiral Jean Mathieu Rey, notes the rapid Chinese expansion: “
China is building the equivalent of the French navy every four years, so there is exponential growth. There is clearly a presence and an armament that can pose a threat, but we are seeking to establish a relationship of deconfliction with China. My predecessor had made a trip in this direction to China to see my
alter ego
and my
alter ego
is invited here in Tahiti.
There is a desire to maintain an exchange in order to be able to dispel doubts between operational staff, these are not political relations, they are military relations.
"
From Réunion to Papeete via Nouméa, 7,000 French soldiers are pre-positioned in the Indo-Pacific.
A stable figure;
on the other hand the axis of effort for two years relates to the projections of force starting from the metropolis and to achieve this one needs points of support and therefore partnerships insists Admiral Rey: "
The
Charles-de-Gaulle
in 2019 in the Pacific it was the first time, Operation Marianne, the deployment of the submarine
Emeraude
these last months in the China Sea it was the first time, the Jeanne d'Arc group already came in 2015 in 2017 it is again in the area this year, the Air Force which is deploying, three missions in three years, this is unprecedented ... For the support points, it is a question of being able to regenerate our crews, supply our buildings with supplies, so we have partners throughout the area. We mentioned the stopovers at
Charles-de-Gaulle
in Singapore, it is not nothing, the units currently release in Vietnam, but also in Brunei in Indonesia in the Philippines, so that is the points of support, it is to have partners on which one can count and it is a constant work since with the pandemic there can be ports or airports which open, which close ... The Pacific covers half of the globe so when we deploy it is by submarine or in a fighter plane, we do not move at the same speed, but the distances remain very important. The Pacific is big, it's big!
"
Since the next wars will be far away, the Strategic Review has identified "
power projection
" as one of the "
critical areas
" prioritized for armies.
The recent exercises in the Indo-Pacific are the perfect illustration of this.
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