From Fort de France, where they are based, the Navy ships in the Antilles regularly come to patrol the Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy region to ensure surveillance of French maritime areas. The surveillance frigate Germinal has thus been deployed several times in recent months to contribute, with the support of its embarked helicopter, to the fight against illegal fishing or drug trafficking.
On the sidelines of its last stopover and as part of its Carib Royal mission, the French frigate more specifically carried out a patrol in coordination with the local services of the National Gendarmerie and Customs.
The particular situation of this sector, marked by a strong overlap of the territorial waters of different island states, also implies close regional cooperation in order to gain efficiency in the fight against drug trafficking.
Through these regular missions, the Armed Forces in the Antilles (FAA) contribute to the protection of the entire French Antilles up to their northernmost tip, namely the islands of Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy.
The FAA constitutes a leading joint force in the Caribbean. Based in Martinique and Guadeloupe, nearly 1,300 soldiers guarantee the protection of the national territory. Their presence provides France with significant operational capabilities; they can be deployed at short notice to respond to a security crisis or carry out assistance operations for populations affected by a natural disaster in the Caribbean Sea. The air-sea component of the FAA regularly participates in missions relating to State action at sea, in particular the fight against illicit trafficking and the protection of the marine environment. The FAA develops military cooperation with its allies and partners in the Caribbean region.