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The French Navy's Mistral-class amphibious assault ship Dixmude berthed at Singapore's Changi Naval Base after a five-day naval exercise with the Royal Malaysian Navy. Source: IHS/Kelvin Wong
France continues to play a significant humanitarian and security role in the Indo-Pacific region with its naval power projection capabilities and prepositioned assets in the region, a French official said aboard the French Navy's Mistral-class amphibious command ship Dixmude (L9015) on 23 April.
Dixmude , which is leading a two-ship amphibious task force as part of the navy's 2015 Jeanne d'Arc deployment, docked at Singapore's Changi Naval Base for crew rest and replenishment after leaving its home port of Toulon in March. The ship has an embarked air-mobile group comprising of two SA 330 Puma medium transport and two SA 341Gazelle light utility helicopters, as well as an amphibious assault detachment that includes an Engin de Débarquement Amphibie-Rapide (EDA-R) fast amphibious landing catamaran and two Chalands de Transport de Matériel (CTM) landing craft. It is escorted by the La Fayette-class guided missile frigate Aconit throughout the five-month deployment.
France's ambassador to Singapore, Benjamin Dubertret, noted that approximately 4,300 troops are prepositioned in the country's territories in the Indian and Pacific Oceans - including French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Réunion Island - which accounts for more than 30% of the 12,000-strong force that it has deployed overseas.
"France is a maritime power from a defence standpoint in the Indian and Pacific Oceans," Dubertret said. "Just to give an idea of what we can do with those prepositioned forces, I would like to highlight the fact that recently when there was a typhoon in Vanuatu the forces that are prepositioned in New Caledonia were able to intervene and take part in the rescue and humanitarian operations."
According an official statement, a total of 300 troops from the French Armed Forces in New Caledonia and the French Armed Forces of French Polynesia were deployed in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Pam, a category five cyclone which reportedly killed at least 11 people and displaced 70% of Vanuatu's population. The French contribution to aid efforts also included the Floreal-class frigate Vendémiaire , the P 400-class patrol boat La Glorieuse , two helicopters, and two Casa CN235 twin-turboprop transport aircraft.
As Dixmude transited the Gulf of Aden in early April as the security situation deteriorated in Yemen, the ship was redirected to provide support for ongoing civilian relief efforts, eventually deploying its EDA-R catamaran to evacuate 44 people of varying nationalities from the port of Balhaf to Djibouti.
Prior to Dixmude 's arrival in Singapore, the task force also conducted a series of humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) exchanges - which included force integration, table top, and field training exercises - with the Malaysian Armed Forces during the five-day Exercise 'Malaysia-France' in waters off Mersing that started on 19 April.
Captain Pierre de Briançon, commanding officer of Dixmude , told reporters that the Jeanne d'Arc deployment includes no less than four core missions: conducting long-range naval operations, enhancing interoperability with its allies and partners, supporting French diplomacy and trade, as well as conducting training for 146 French and international cadets.
"The French Navy is used to operating pretty much everywhere," Capt de Briançon said. "It's normal for our navy to conduct deployments and we try to come [to the Asia Pacific] as often as we can and the presence of Dixmude demonstrates this."
According to the captain, the Jeanne d'Arc task force is also expected to engage in multilateral naval exercise with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, Republic of Korea Navy, and the US Navy in May.
He added that the task force will also make a port call at Shanghai as well as conduct a number of "limited" manoeuvres with the People's Liberation Army Navy.
"Nothing too difficult because it's just the beginning," he noted. "It's important that we get to know each other better."
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France flexes Asia-Pacific HADR and power-projection capabilities with latest Jeanne d'Arc deployment - IHS Jane's 360
