MANILA — The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle has embarked on its longest deployment yet, as it makes an unprecedented stopover in the Philippines.

The aircraft carrier, the only nuclear-powered carrier outside of the US Navy, along with its two multi-mission destroyers, air defense destroyer and auxiliary oil replenishment ship Jacques Chevallier, berthed for a three-day operational break at the Subic Bay port on Friday, February 21.

The French Carrier Strike Group (CSG) has been deployed to the Mediterranean, Indian ocean and the Pacific, from its home port in Toulon, France since November 2024, as part of the CLEMENCEAU 25 mission.

According to the French government, the CLEMENCEAU 25 mission is to develop interoperability with allies and reinforce maritime security.

French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle visits Philippines

Prior to its arrival, French Ambassador Marie Fontanel, Philippine military authorities and two selected media representatives, one of which being ABS-CBN News, embarked on-board the Charles De Gaulle, as it was traversing the West Philippine Sea.

The group witnessed actual operations of the CSG, as well as flight demonstrations of its warplanes, including the Grumman E-2 Hawkeye surveillance aircraft and several Dassault Rafale Marine fighter jets.

The French-made Rafale jet considered among the world’s top-performing multirole fighter aircrafts for its wide range of weapons, advanced capabilities and maneuverability.

“It’s a great opportunity to show and to share with our Filipino partners of the three Armed Forces, actually — our aircraft carrier group, the technology that we have on board, the diversity of ships and equipment we have…It’s an important deployment being part of our IndoPacific strategy and it gives an opportunity to strengthen our bilateral ties in the field of military cooperation,” said Ambassador Fontanel.

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) also conducted air interactions with the French Navy Rafale, while a CSG destroyer also took part in a bilateral interaction with Philippine Navy vessels BRP Jose Rizal and BRP Gregorio Del Pilar.

“They’re doing anti-submarine warfare operations. So we are learning from them. Meron tayong mga subject matter experts from the French Navy in our ships, helping us, teaching us how to do things. And this is a very new capability that we are trying to acquire. That’s why we need the help from our friends, and they have the experience. So slowly yung interoperability natin with our navy eh makikita na natin,” Philippine Navy Vice Admiral Jose Ma. Ambrosio Ezpeleta said.

AFP hopes to acquire at least 2 submarines – Brawner

Since February 5, the CSG’s Atlantique 2 (ATL2) maritime patrol aircraft had been positioned on Clark Air Base’s military airfield, to support the carrier strike group’s activities. Crewmembers of the ATL2 detachments also had exchanges with officers of the Philippine Air Force.

The French Embassy clarified the military exercises are not directed against any nation but are part of a trust and confidence building process with France’s allies in the region.

“We are a maritime nation, we have a strategy on IndoPacific, we are doing exercises with many countries just before arriving in the Philippines…it is our own independence, our own autonomy our own strategy and the partnerships we developed with many countries,” she said.

“We need to have trust and that means we have to get to know each other, you have to get to know how the other navy or how the other armed force operates,” she added.

Last February 7 to 18, the French CSG participated in a trilateral multi large-deck event called the PACIFIC STELLAR exercise with the US Navy and Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force.

Before this, the CLEMENCEAU 25 mission was also in Indonesia and took part in a multinational exercise called LA PEROUSE 25 with nine nations, including the US, Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, Singapore and the UK.

From the Philippines, it will head to India for more military exercises.

The French government also underscored, that 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 Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu.

This letter of intent aims to develop military cooperation and interactions between the armed forces of the two countries.

PH eyes to finalize defense pacts with New Zealand, France, Canada

Negotiations for a Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and France are ongoing, and both countries are hoping to reach an agreement soon.

If this happens, the France will become the fourth country that the Philippines have a defense pact with — after the US, Australia and Japan.

The Philippine government has always stressed the importance of building friendly alliances that support a rules-based international order, to maintain peace and stability in the entire Indo-Pacific region.