Yesterday, the French Navy announced that its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its Carrier Strike Group (CSG) had departed from the Toulon Naval Base, thus commencing the Clemenceau 2025 mission. Throughout its deployment, the French vessels aim to strengthen ties with allied nations in the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific regions, with plans to carry out a series of three military exercises.
Delving into details, the deployment plans stipulate that the French CSG will participate in the bilateral exercise Varuna in the western Indian Ocean, where it will operate alongside elements of the Indian Navy to enhance interoperability between the two forces. Subsequently, in the eastern part of those waters, the group will lead activities as part of the La Perouse exercise, working in this case with the navies of various Southeast Asian countries, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Finally, the CSG is expected to take part in the Pacific Steller exercise, this time associated with the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet.
It is worth recalling at this point that the CSG will consist of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle itself, three frigates (presumably of the Aquitaine and Horizon classes in anti-submarine and anti-aircraft variants), a nuclear-powered attack submarine, and a replenishment ship. To this array of vessels will be added the carrier’s embarked air group, which includes Rafale fighter jets and E-2C Hawkeye early warning aircraft, as well as the participation of an Atlantique 2 maritime surveillance aircraft, which will operate from land.
Additionally, it is worth highlighting that cooperation with allied navies will not be limited to the aforementioned points of deployment, as frigates from Italy, the United States, Morocco, and Greece will join the Clemenceau 2025 mission from its starting point. In this way, the French Navy aims to provide a significant demonstration of its power projection capabilities alongside multiple international partners in a highly complex Indo-Pacific scenario, with a deployment expected to last four months.
Quoting part of the official statement from the French Navy: “France is deploying its aircraft carrier strike group alongside its allies and strategic partners in the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific, areas of great interest to France, Europe, and their partners. This mission, exceptional in its duration and scope, demonstrates France’s ability to deploy an agile, reactive, adaptable, and autonomous military force anywhere.”
Image credits: @Cecmed_Off on X.
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