Multilateral La Perouse 25 exercise focuses on key maritime passages
FORUM Staff
Protecting choke points that link the Indian Ocean to the Java Sea, South China Sea and Pacific Ocean was the mission of the La Perouse 25 exercise. Nine Indo-Pacific navies participated in the biennial exercise in January, the fifth and largest iteration.
About one-third of the world’s commercial shipping traverses the Lombok, Malacca and Sunda straits, and the passageways provide strategic access for military vessels. Ensuring access to the maritime corridors is vital to maintaining regional sea lines of communication.
Led by the French Navy Carrier Strike Group, which includes the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, the nine-day La Perouse aimed to ensure an interoperable force is prepared to manage traffic through the straits during a crisis. Participants included Australia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.
IMAGE CREDIT: FRENCH NAVY
“Together, the countries bordering the area are joining forces to train each other to strengthen maritime safety in this region, where over 50% of the world’s maritime traffic is concentrated, and the safety issues that this entails,” French Rear Adm. Jacques Mallard, the strike group’s commanding officer, stated in a social media post.
Thirteen ships and more than 30 aircraft took part in drills that included multidomain and simulated warfare training, boarding operations, live-fire exercises, and air-based search and rescue missions. The exercise focused on responding to maritime and environmental accidents, illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis.
“Multilateral exercises like La Perouse 25 highlight our shared security interests and allow the Australian Defence Force to strengthen cooperation and build interoperability with other nations through a live training environment,” said Royal Australian Navy Vice Adm. Justin Jones, chief of joint operations. “Australia’s security and prosperity lies in the Indo-Pacific, and the experience gained through this exercise ensures we can collectively maintain peace, security and prosperity in the region.”
Navy personnel used the Indo-Pacific Regional Information Sharing platform, which enables multiple forces to exchange information and documents, ensuring a synchronized response.
Participants reviewed planning, coordination and communication procedures to enhance interoperability, India’s Force magazine reported. They performed operations including surface and anti-air warfare, air defense, cross-deck landings, tactical maneuvers, and search and seizure.
“The exercise aims to develop common maritime situational awareness by enhancing the cooperation in the field of maritime surveillance, maritime interdiction operations and air operations along with the conduct of progressive training and information sharing,” the Indian Navy stated.
Before La Perouse, the French Navy Carrier Strike Group made port calls in Goa and Kochi, India, and participated in the Varuna exercise with the Indian Navy. The exercises were part of the French Navy’s Clemenceau 25 deployment. La Perouse “illustrates the willingness of France to regularly deploy assets from French territory into the Indo-Pacific, to enforce international law, defend sovereignty, [and] protect free and open access to common spaces,” the French Embassy in Kuala Lumpur reported.
France’s leadership role in La Perouse reflects European nations’ growing involvement in the Indo-Pacific. About 1.6 million French nationals live in the nation’s regional territories, and other European nations are engaging in the region as it gains worldwide attention as a hub of trade and security.
