FS Tonnerre

French Fleet Beginning to Recover From Budget Turmoil Says Navy Chief

Adm. Pierre Vandier. French Navy Photo

The French Navy is only now starting to recover from 30 years of deep budget cuts that saw its fleet size halved, its senior admiral said Monday.

Adm. Pierre Vandier, chief of the French Navy since September 2020, said, it “now lacks certain naval assets [going into] the future” despite operational demands that it remains a global force.

Even with an uptick in defense spending, he added, “gaps will not be filled until 2029.” Vandier said that the 20-year plan...

https://news.usni.org/2022/02/01/french-fleet-beginning-to-recover-from-budget-turmoil-says-navy-chief

French Navy Kicks Off Force-on-Force Drills in Mediterranean with Partner Nations, NATO

French Defense Ministry Photo

KUALA LUMPUR – The French Navy started a major force-on-force operational readiness exercise called POLARIS 21 on Thursday in the western Mediterranean.

Polaris 21, which comes from the French name for the exercise — Préparation Opérationnelle en Lutte Aéromaritime, Résilience, Innovation et Supériorité — also includes a segment on the Atlantic coast of mainland France. The French Army and Navy and partner nations Greece, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United...

https://news.usni.org/2021/11/19/french-navy-kicks-off-force-on-force-drills-in-mediterranean-with-partner-nations-nato

French Navy, Army Drill to Launch Helicopter Attacks From the Sea

An MV-22 Osprey from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 263 takes off from French amphibious ship FS Tonnerre on June 28, 2019, during exercise Semper Thunder at Camp Lejeune, N.C. USNI News photo.

KUALA LUMPUR – The French Army and Navy last week completed the Cormoran 21 exercise after more than two weeks of drills in the Mediterranean.
Cormoran 21 is a power projection exercise involving the joint amphibious and airmobile capabilities of the two services where 24 Army helicopters join...

https://news.usni.org/2021/10/18/french-navy-army-drill-to-launch-helicopter-attacks-from-the-sea

French Officials: Jeanne D’Arc Deployment Enhances Interoperability With Partners

A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force CH-47 helicopter lands on LPD FS Tonnerre (L9104) during the Jeanne D’Arc 2021 exercise in Japan. French Armed Forces Photo

KUALA LUMPUR – As France’s Jeanne D’Arc deployment nears its conclusion, the French are looking to continue high-end operations in the Indo-Pacific region, according to two French officials in command of the deployment.

Speaking to USNI News in separate interviews, Rear Adm. Jean-Mathieu Rey, Joint Commander French Armed Forces in the...

https://news.usni.org/2021/06/13/french-officials-jeanne-darc-deployment-enhances-interoperability-with-partners

Officials: Jeanne D’Arc Exercise Tests How Allies Can Work Together in Indo-Pacific

San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS New Orleans (LPD-18), joined by the Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac-class frigate HMAS Parramatta (FFH-154), the French Navy’s amphibious assault helicopter carrier FS Tonnerre (L9014), and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Ōsumi class tank landing ship JS Ōsumi, transit together during exercise Jeanne D’Arc 21 (ARC-21), off the coast of Kagoshima, Japan on May 14, 2021. US Marine Corps.

KUALA LUMPUR – Joint drills between allies in Japan between...

https://news.usni.org/2021/05/17/officials-jeanne-darc-exercise-tests-how-allies-can-work-together-in-indo-pacific

U.S. Begins Joint Exercise in Japan with French and Australian Navies

American, Japanese, French and Australian commanders salute their respective flags during the opening ceremony for exercise Jeanne D’Arc 21, in Camp Ainoura, Sasebo, Japan, May 11th, 2021. ARC-21 is an opportunity for US, French, Japanese, and Australian forces to share experiences, tactics, and best practices to sharpen their skills together. US Marine Corps Photo

The United States, Japan, France and Australia began their joint training exercise Jeanne D’Arc 21 in the Indo-Pacific region this...

https://news.usni.org/2021/05/13/u-s-begins-joint-exercise-in-japan-with-french-and-australian-navies

Interview: French Indo-Pacific Commander Rear Adm. Jean-Mathieu Rey

Charles De Gaulle – The carrier FS Charles De Gaulle (R91) docked at Changi Naval Base during its 2019 deployment to the region Photo by Dzirhan Mahadzir

KUALA LUMPUR – Far from France, Rear Adm. Jean-Mathieu Rey, Joint Commander French Armed Forces in the Asia-Pacific (ALPACI), is responsible for French security interests in the Indo-Pacific – an area of the world that’s growing in complexity as tensions between the U.S. and China continue to build, he told USNI News.

“We intend to assume our...

https://news.usni.org/2021/05/11/interview-french-indo-pacific-commander-rear-adm-jean-mathieu-rey

French Navy Exercise Combines Ships from 5 Navies on Short Notice

U.S. Navy Ensign Micael Lozano, left, and Lt. Erik Bohman observe (from left to right) HMAS Anzac, IN Satpura, and FS Tonnerre from the bridge wing of the amphibious transport dock ship USS Somerset (LPD 25) during La Perouse 2021. US Navy Photo

Amphibious warship USS Somerset (LPD-25) joined ships and aircraft from five countries in the Bay of Bengal last week for a multi-lateral exercise designed to help the navies quickly organize and operate as an integrated, combined maritime force.

French-le...

France Sending Amphib Tonnerre to Assist Lebanon After Explosion

An American MV-22 Osprey from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 263 lands on French amphibious ship FS Tonnerre on June 28, 2019, during the Semper Thunder exercise at Camp Lejeune, N.C. USNI News photo.

France earlier this week dispatched one of its amphibious ships to assist Lebanon following a deadly explosion in Beirut.

France’s Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs announced on its website last week that landing helicopter dock FS Tonnerre (L9014) would depart for Lebanon on Sunday....

https://news.usni.org/2020/08/11/france-sending-amphib-tonnerre-to-assist-lebanon-after-explosion

French Sending Amphibious Warships to Caribbean, Indian Ocean for Coronavirus Response

French Navy Photo

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Wednesday that French Navy Mistral-class LHDs Mistral (L9013) and Dixmude (L9015) will be deployed to Reunion Island and the Caribbean in support of the Coronavirus relief efforts. These new deployments will take place as part of the new operation “Résilience”.

Operation Résilience which was unveiled Wednesday by Macron is described as an “unprecedented military operation dedicated to supporting public services and the French people in...

https://news.usni.org/2020/03/27/french-sending-amphibious-warships-to-caribbean-indian-ocean-for-coronavirus-response

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