Joint naval exercise held between US, Japan & France in the Indo-Pacific -

Guam/Beijing: – Joint naval exercises were held between the United States, Japan and France. The US Pacific fleet has given this information. USS John McCain of the United States, JS Hyuga from Japan and French nuclear submarine FS Émeraude participated in the exercises. France has sent a nuclear submarine for naval exercises to this region for the first time.

Since the last few years, China has started increasing its military might to a great extent. The Chinese navy is known as the largest navy in the world as of today, and it has, along with the aircraft carriers, ultramodern amphibious ships, submarines, patrol vessels and underwater drones. Based on this naval might, China has initiated activities against the countries in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and the Indo-Pacific regions. The United States has drafted a comprehensive policy to stop this Chinese aggression and appealed to the countries from the area and the European countries to participate in the Indo-Pacific region. Responding positively to the US appeal, countries from Europe like France and Germany have announced an Indo-Pacific policy. Indications of military deployment in the area, to stop the Chinese aggression, is also envisaged in the policy. A few days ago, Japan had appealed that Germany should send its warship to the pacific sector. France has already started its deployment in this sector, and the French submarine’s participation in the naval exercises is a part of the same policy initiative. Before this, France had sent its destroyers to the Indo-Pacific region under Freedom of Navigation. But this is the first instance of sending a nuclear submarine to participate in a multilateral naval exercise.

The US-Japan-France joint naval exercise was held in the Philippines Sea, a part of the Pacific Ocean. The US navy informed that before the practices, the French submarine and the support ship visited the US defence base in the Guam islands. The Seventh Fleet of the US navy informed that the stress was on anti-submarine warfare tactics during the exercises. Senior US navy official Lieutenant Ryan reacted, ‘It is rare to get an opportunity to hold exercises with a submarine from a partner country. These exercises have strengthened our war preparedness further.’

It has been reported that the US destroyer USS John McCain sailed through the Spratly Islands region after the exercises. The US navy informed that a Chinese warship chased USS John McCain at this time. Meanwhile, it has been reported that the French submarine and the support ship visited the Philippines.