Fresh from their deployment in the Indo-Pacific as part of mission CLEMENCEAU 25, the French Carrier Strike Group (CSG) will make an operational break in Subic Bay and Manila on today February 22 for an unprecedented visit.
The aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle, two multi-mission destroyers, an air defense destroyer and the auxiliary oil replenishment ship Jacques Chevallier will dock in the Philippines more than 12,000 kilometers from their home port Toulon, in metropolitan France, after two and a half months of deployment.
The arrival of the CSG in Subic Bay and Manila is part of the framework of the letter of intent signed in December 2023 between France and the Philippines by the Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro and French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu. This letter of intent aims in particular at developing military cooperation and interactions between the armed forces of the two countries.
In this context, the French Ambassador to the Philippines, Marie Fontanel, and several high-rank military authorities from the three forces will embark on-board the Charles De Gaulle at sea, on the 21st February prior to the berthing in the different locations, for an official visit and a presentation of CLEMENCEAU 25 mission.
CLEMENCEAU 25 is a unique opportunity to strengthen Franco-Philippine relations, following one of the many interactions carried out in 2024, such as the first French participation in the BALIKATAN exercise with the deployment of the frigate Vendémiaire, the stopover of the destroyer Bretagne in Manila in May 2024 and of the frigate Prairial in Cebu in October 2024, as well as the first enhanced stopover of the PEGASE mission at Clark Air Base in 2024.
Before the stopover of the French CSG, the Philippine Air Force will conduct air interactions with the Navy Rafale of the embarked carrier air wing. A destroyer of the CSG will also take part in a bilateral interaction with BRP José Rizal and BRP Gregorio Del Pilar. Finally, since February 5, the CSG’s Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft have been positioned on Clark Air Base’s military airfield, on the island of Luzon, in support of the carrier strike group’s activities. Crewmembers of the ATL2 detachments already had numerous exchanges with officers of the Philippine Air Force.
These interactions are clear demonstration of the willingness to work collectively for maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region where the two countries share economic interests and a need to protect their national citizens. This cooperation is strengthened by regular joint trainings such as SAMA SAMA, CROIX DU SUD, MARARA and BALIKATAN.
The stopover also gives the crews a chance to discover the Philippines, interact with Filipinos and meet the NGO ANAK-TNK, which is organizing a basketball match between sailors and young people hosted by the foundation.
