Hugo Decis
France’s posture in the Indo-Pacific As outlined in the 2021 update to France’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, Paris maintains a significant presence in the Indo-Pacific with almost 5,000 troops, ten naval assets – including four Floréal-class light frigates – and 18 aircraft, plus another 2,000 troops based in Djibouti and in the United Arab Emirates. These are supplemented by periodic deployments of more capable assets from France. Together, this puts Paris at the forefront of the European military presence in the Indian and Pacific oceans, which is perhaps unsurprising given the extent of French territory in the region.
However, France’s footprint remains small compared to the United States’ presence and the growing military capacity of other regional powers. The French forces are overstretched, have limited capabilities, and are growing in obsolescence. France’s largest naval assets based in the region, the Floréal-class light frigates, were commissioned between 1992 and 1994 and are currently without surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) or anti-ship missiles (AShMs). Despite being modern (commissioned between 2016 and 2020), capable and of high endurance, the D’Entrecasteaux-class offshore patrol vessels are armed only with machine-guns. These two classes of ships are the workhorses of France’s naval presence in the Indo-Pacific and are supported by a collection of three patrol crafts, each of which is a different type, but they are essentially unarmed.
The focus of these forces has been on lower-end maritime security missions to protect France’s extensive exclusive economic zones in the region, to counter threats such as smuggling and illegal fishing, and to support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts.
However, as the Indo-Pacific maritime domain has become increasingly competitive, there has been growing concern about the limited ability of these assets to undertake more complex, high-end operations involving anti-submarine warfare (ASW), air defence or surface strike. However valuable, France’s regular participation in the US-led Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise with one Floréal-class frigate does little to address these concerns.
Looking beyond the horizon The current aim is for all six of the Félix Éboué-class patrol vessels to be in service by 2026. At some 1,300 tonnes full load displacement, and with a top speed of at least 22 knots, they will be much more capable than the three vessels they are replacing, and there will be a net increase of 5,300 tonnes in French naval capacity in the region with two ships earmarked for La Réunion and another four for New Caledonia and French Polynesia. Notably, the new vessels will be equipped with a flight deck and shelter to accommodate an uninhabited vehicle of up to 700 kilograms take-off weight.
However, the vessels will be armed only with light guns, so their overall impact will be limited, and they will not answer the question of what France will do about more high-end challenges in the region. France may harbour ambitions to deploy its more capable assets more regularly. However, the current security situation in Europe may limit that goal. The aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is scheduled to head to the region on a deployment, although this will not happen until 2025.
The plan to replace the obsolescent Floréal-class frigates in the 2030s is the next major step for France. The most likely candidate, as of today, is a French variant of the European Patrol Corvette being worked on by Italy, France, Greece and Spain under the European Union Permanent Structured Cooperation. France’s requirements, in line with the Floréal-class’s characteristics, would naturally place an emphasis on endurance. But earlier details released in the French media indicate that France intends to have these armed with a SAM system and AShM.
Were France able to base a moderately well-armed class of frigates in the Indo-Pacific it would improve its ability to contribute to deterrence and higher-end naval tasks. It would also allow for more credible engagement by France in large, multinational exercises in the region such as RIMPAC, thus improving its standing as a regional security partner. It will, however, be necessary to decide what level of ambition is feasible, including whether the vessels should be equipped with the requisite sensors and systems for ASW operations.
Conclusion The commissioning of six new patrol craft represents a net 24% increase in tonnage permanently based in the Indo-Pacific. Alongside introducing a new fleet of modern maritime surveillance aircraft, replacing the older Falcon 20H Gardian with Dassault’s Falcon 2000 Albatros will improve France’s surveillance and maritime situational awareness capabilities across the region. The arrival of the new vessels will also address a key limitation – the lack of modern, easy to maintain patrol combatants – and will allow the French Navy to field a coherent force of three classes of vessels spread evenly throughout the Indian and Pacific oceans.
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