The U.S. Navy tweeted on Dec. 21 that the destroyer USS McCain of the Seventh Fleet held a joint military exercise with French and Japanese ships in the Philippine Sea on Dec. 18. In addition, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced on Monday that France has become the 23rd member of the Indian Ocean Rim Alliance for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC). According to him, “France’s membership is a strong sign of our intention to act, with our partners, in the Indo-Pacific arena.”
According to the U.S. Department of Defense’s Stars and Stripes website, the destroyer USS McCain conducted anti-submarine warfare exercises in the Philippine Sea last Friday with French Navy submarines and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter carriers. The participants included the French Navy’s Ruby-class nuclear attack submarine Emerald, the support ship Seine and The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s helicopter carrier Hyuga. The U.S. Navy said that through this military exercise the three parties hope to “strengthen cooperative efforts to support maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region”.
“Captain Ryan T. Easterday of the destroyer USS McCain said the exercise further demonstrates “the breadth, depth and value of the U.S. network of allies and partners. “Weapons Officer Ryan Mati of the destroyer USS McCain said working with partner nation submarines has enhanced the crew’s “tactical mindset” and allowed them to “conduct some of the best training in the region. best training” in the region. He said anti-submarine warfare is a cornerstone of surface military operations, and “this exercise not only allows us to continue to enhance our operational readiness with our long-term allies, but also gives the crews a unique experience.
The report said that this is the first time that the JMSDF has conducted a joint exercise with the French Navy’s Jade nuclear submarine. Japanese Commander Shingo Hamasaki said the trilateral exercise with the U.S. and French navies improved tactical skills and the JMSDF would “continue to seek opportunities to conduct exercises with our partner navies”. He said, “This trilateral exercise with the U.S. and French navies will not only develop tactical skills, but also contribute to a ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’ based on the rule of law and freedom of navigation.” He also said the Japanese Navy will “continue to seek opportunities to conduct exercises with partner navies.”
It is worth noting that the U.S. Pacific Ship 22 released the news that the destroyer USS McCain conducted navigation activities in the Spratly Islands waters. From time to time, this is in the United States, Japan and France in the Philippine Sea to carry out joint exercises after. It is also understood that the U.S., Japan and France will also hold the first land and sea joint military exercises in May next year near one of Japan’s outlying islands. In addition, France became the 23rd full member of the Indian Ocean Rim Alliance for Regional Cooperation on the 16th, according to a statement released by the French Foreign Ministry on the 17th. The statement said, “This accession marks the willingness of France, a country in the Indian Ocean Rim, to become more involved in the Indo-Pacific space. It is an affirmation of our operations deployed there.”
The statement said, “In October 2019, the French president presented France’s ambition for the Indian Ocean at the ‘Choose Reunion’ forum. It is based on the development of a blue economy, connectivity, combating the effects of climate change, safeguarding biodiversity, maritime security and promoting human and cultural exchanges. This vision will be at the heart of our chairmanship of the Indian Ocean Commission in 2021.” The statement said, “France’s membership of the IORA will help strengthen our overseas departments and the regional environment in the Indian Ocean region, where one million French people live.”
In a video address on Monday, Le Drian noted that France’s participation in the organization is based on four cornerstones, which include: maritime security, surveillance of regional space through cooperative operations by the French Forces of the Southern Indian Ocean Region ( FAZSOI), the fight against climate change and the protection of biodiversity. France will cooperate with the organization’s members in the coming year in areas such as the development of the “blue economy” and the fight against illegal fishing.
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