The French Navy’s flagship, the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, along with its formidable escort, is set to make a significant stopover in the Philippines. The visit, part of the Clemenceau 25 mission, underscores a deepening of maritime security ties between France and the Philippines. Scheduled to arrive in Subic Bay and Manila on February 22, this marks the first time the carrier strike group (CSG) will dock in the country during its Indo-Pacific tour.
Prior to docking, the Philippine Air Force will engage in aerial maneuvers with the Navy Rafale jets from the Charles de Gaulle. Additionally, a destroyer from the CSG will participate in a joint exercise with the Philippine Navy’s BRP José Rizal and BRP Gregorio Del Pilar at an undisclosed location. Since February 5, the CSG’s Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft have been stationed at Clark Air Base, facilitating numerous exchanges between French and Philippine air force personnel.
This visit is a testament to the mutual commitment of France and the Philippines to enhance maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region, where both nations have significant economic interests and a responsibility to protect their citizens. The cooperation is further solidified through regular joint military exercises such as SAMA SAMA, CROIX DU SUD, MARARA, and BALIKATAN.
Accompanying the Charles de Gaulle are two multi-mission destroyers, an air defense destroyer, and the auxiliary oil replenishment ship Jacques Chevallier. The visit aligns with a letter of intent signed in December 2023 by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu, aimed at fostering military cooperation between the two nations.
The Clemenceau 25 mission follows a series of engagements between France and the Philippines in 2024, including France’s first participation in the Balikatan exercises, port calls by the French destroyer Bretagne in Manila and the frigate Prairial in Cebu, and the enhanced stopover of the PEGASE mission at Clark Air Base.