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Philstar.com
February 21, 2025 | 7:24pm
French Navy flagship, aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle carrying multi-role fighter aircraft Rafale.
French Carrier Strike Group / X (formerly Twitter)
MANILA, Philippines —The French Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle docked in the Philippines for the first time on Friday, February 21 — a milestone in the growing defense ties between the two nations.
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier — France's most capable — will dock in Subic Bay and Manila from February 21 to 23 as part of its Indo-Pacific deployment, known as Mission CLEMENCEAU 25.
The carrier leads a strike group that includes two multi-mission destroyers, an air defense destroyer, and the auxiliary oil replenishment ship Jacques Chevallier. The five-vessel fleet has traveled more than 12,000 kilometers from its home port of Toulon.
French Ambassador Marie Fontanel and high-ranking military officials will board the Charles de Gaulle at sea Friday for an official visit before the ships dock.
During the three-day stopover, French and Philippine forces will conduct joint military exercises. The Philippine Air Force will train with the carrier's fighter jets, while a French destroyer will carry out drills with Philippine Navy vessels BRP Jose Rizal and BRP Gregorio Del Pilar in the West Philippine Sea.
A French Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft has been operating from Clark Air Base since February 5 in preparation for the carrier group's arrival, conducting exercises with Philippine Air Force personnel.
The visit follows a December 2023 defense cooperation agreement signed by Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro and French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu.
"These interactions are a 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," the French Embassy in the Philippines said in a statement.
In a statement on Friday, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad welcomed the "historic stopover" of France's aircraft carrier.
"This visit builds on growing defense ties between the two nations, following the French Navy’s first participation in Exercise BALIKATAN 2024, during which the frigate Vendémiaire was deployed alongside Philippine and U.S. forces," Trinidad said.
"Previous port calls by the destroyer Bretagne in Manila and the frigate Prairial in Cebu further underscore France’s commitment to regional security and the shared goal of strengthening maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific," he added.The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, France's most advanced, will dock in Subic Bay and Manila from February 21 to 23 as part of its Indo-Pacific deployment, known as Mission CLEMENCEAU 25.
