From November 14 to 20, the surveillance frigate (FS) Prairial made a stopover in Busan, South Korea, during its Asia 2024.2 mission . On this occasion, the French and South Korean navies strengthened the military cooperation that unites the two nations. The Prairial mission is also part of France’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
The FS Prairial is deployed in the Indo-Pacific as part of the Enforcement Coordination Cell mission , which enables coordination between the nine participating States (United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, France and South Korea) in order to combat the circumvention of UN sanctions against North Korea.
During the stopover in Busan, South Korea , a meeting between the commander of the Prairial , the French ambassador to South Korea and the deputy commander of the Rokfleet notably recalled the common desire to strengthen cooperation between the two nations in terms of defense, in an area with complex geopolitical issues.
The partnership between France and South Korea was demonstrated in particular with the implementation of a joint naval exercise between the FS Prairial and the South Korean destroyer Choi Young . The two ships conducted a formation evolution exercise together as well as a second sequence with a South Korean Super Lynx helicopter . These joint maneuvers allowed the two navies to learn to work better together and to compare different methods.
The Armed Forces in French Polynesia (FAPF) constitute a joint pre-positioned force with a maritime focus. The FAPF’s main mission is to ensure France’s sovereignty in the Asia-Pacific region. They confirm its status as a sovereign and coastal nation, concerned with regional stability. Around 900 soldiers are engaged in missions to safeguard maritime areas, police fisheries and combat illicit trafficking. They are also able to respond, at short notice, to security or environmental crises. The FAPF have specific expertise in providing assistance to populations, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), which they regularly share with the countries of the South Pacific.