On August 10, off the coast of New Caledonia, the Overseas Patrol Boat (POM) Auguste Bénébig participated in the Franco-Japanese exercise OGURI-VERNY* with the frigate JS Shimokita, an amphibious ship of the Japanese Navy.
During this exercise, the two ships conducted a sea training (PASSEX), combining different tactical maneuvers to test the cooperation between the two ships, with the participation of the reconnaissance aircraft of the 25F Flotilla.
At the end of the training sequence, the Japanese vessel JS Shimokita made a stopover in the port of Noumea. On this occasion, the Superior Commander of the Armed Forces in New Caledonia welcomed Rear Admiral Kanezashi and Major General Nashinoki to his Joint Staff.
In August 2022, the two navies conducted a previous edition of the OGURI-VERNY exercise bringing together the Overseas Support and Assistance Ship (BSAOM) D’Entrecasteaux and the Japanese frigate Kirisame.
This training sequence allowed the maintenance of interoperability between the two navies through the implementation of standardized procedures. The regular training of the French and Japanese armies contributed to stability and freedom of movement in this region of strategic interest.
Within their permanent area of responsibility, the main tasks of the 1,450 soldiers of the armed forces in New Caledonia are to ensure the sovereignty of the France, to facilitate regional cooperation and to maintain privileged relations with all riparian countries. The FANC regularly commits its resources to operations to help the population, in support of other State services.
*OGURI-VERNY : François Léonce VERNY (1837-1908) was a French polytechnician and marine engineer who supervised, with OGURI Tadamasa Kosukenosuke, the senior official of the Imperial Navy, the construction of what would become the Yokosuka naval arsenal. Yokosuka and Brest have been twinned cities since November 1970 as a tribute to this historic naval partnership between France and Japan.