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Friday, March 29, 2024

Envoy: France commits to preserve rule of law in Indo-Pacific

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The government of France is committed to preserve the multilateral order, rule of law, freedom of navigation and overflight before the Philippines and others in the Indo-Pacific and sees the need to strengthen sovereignty among its partners in the region, according to a think tank group based in Metro Manila.

“Her Excellency Michèle Boccoz, Ambassador of France to the Philippines, emphasized this during her welcome remarks at the international symposium “Revolutionizing the Philippine Defense Posture with France in the Indo-Pacific,” the Stratbase Group said in a statement.

Stratbase organized the symposium in collaboration with the French Embassy in Manila.

“We will continue to stress respect of rule of law, respect of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas, and many other tools,” Boccoz said.

In his presentation called Advancing Naval Force Structure for Effective Deterrence, Dr. Eric Frécon, Adjunct fellow, Research Institute on Contemporary Southeast Asia, Bangkok, and the Institute for Strategic Research, Paris, French Naval Academy-Sorbonne, said it was time for France to go one step further to the east and connect slowly but surely to the Pacific.

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“You have various threats at sea and from the sea. Sovereignty is at stake,” Frecon said.

Stratbase president Prof. Victor Andres Manhit said improving the Philippine military’s operability through the acquisition of submarine assets will enable it to fulfill its primary mandate on territorial defense.

“By working with credible partners such as France and the European Union, the Philippines can improve its capacity to respond to security threats while contributing to the collective effort to maintain a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific,” he said.

The country’s commitment to foster cooperation with like-minded states is key to establishing a credible defense posture in confronting present and future security threats.

Speaking on the French Indo-Pacific Strategy, Capt. Ludovic Poitou, Deputy Director for International Security Affairs and Maritime Security Coordinator, French Ministry for Armed Forces, clarified that the French strategy in the region is not aimed at one specific state.

“The challenges induced in the geopolitical rivalry in the multipolar region require an inclusive and collective yet robust response,” he said.

“To regularly adapt to meet the new challenges, it is aimed beyond our sovereignty issues, at defending multilateralism, international law, free access to global commons, collective and inclusive approach for
the security challenges of the region, including those link to environmental and climate change.”

Meanwhile, Général de brigade (Brigadier General) Caroline Salahun, Asia-Pacific Director – Direction Générale de L’armement (DGA), said France and the Philippines are now in a position to write a new page in our partnership in the Indo-Pacific ‘by fleshing out the significance of the pacific defense chapter which is very pivotal for the development of our military relationship.”

In her talk on Enhancing the Partnership with the Philippines, Général de brigade Salahun said a major issue in defense capability building is the development of a strong and sustainable domestic defense industry.

RADM Bertrand Dumoulin, Deputy, Admiral in Charge of Oceanic and Strategic Force (ALFOST) of the French Navy, discussed the advantages of a submarine force in the current security environment.

“The submarine has the ability to operate in total stealth, the submarines manage to provide the strength even against the strongest adversary because the adversary does not know where is the submarine, it can be everywhere, it is undetected,” he said.

“It is able to carry out many various missions to collect intelligence.”

Mr. Stephan Meunier, Vice President Operational Marketing, Naval Group, said there are three pillars in developing submarine capacity for a country like the Philippines.

“One is equipment: a performing submarine with weapons. Second one is human resources: well-trained submarine crews and also motivated crews. The aim is safety, operational efficiency and of course, credibility. The last pillar is called the support and organization: an efficient support system, technical availability, operational availability is also part of the credibility. “

For a submarine fleet to be a deterrent force, Loïc Beaurepaire, Corporate Country Director, Naval Group, said it must achieve autonomy in all aspects.

France will provide the technical know-how to technology to be sure that, again, it’s going to be only Filipinos who are going to do the cleaning of the metals, the maintenance, [to be] the workers, technicians, and engineers for the maintenance of the submarine for all the life duration of the submarine force.

“The Submarine Support System will be the Filipino-tailored organization dedicated to the training, in service-support and supply chain so as to reach sovereignty,” he said.

Jaime Victor Ledda, Assistant Secretary, Office of European Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), said the Philippines welcomed strategies for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific that are aligned with the ASEAN outlook.

Dr. Renato de Castro, Trustee and Program Convenor, Stratbase ADR Institute urged the National Security Council to formulate a new National Security Strategy on the recognition that our security
challenges come from the maritime domain and external environment.

Retired Rear Admiral Rommel Jude Ong, Professor of Praxis, Ateneo School of Government, said the country needs to develop robust and modern maritime industry to support defense and security posture.

Dr. Chester Cabalza, President and Founder, International Development and Security Cooperation said good governance would also be an anchoring policy for us to strengthen joint civil and the maritime
sector to coincide with effective legislation and execution of enforced maritime laws.

DM Jose Renan Suarez (Ret), Former Commander, Naval Education and Training Command, Philippine Navy said a navy in charge of protecting an extensive naval domain, must have a credible deterrence against potential adversaries, which have more naval and maritime assets in their inventories.

Dr. Philip Arnold “Randy” Tuaño, dean of the Ateneo School of Government, said investments in national defense have important implications in terms of ensuring that the country has continued access to resources for growth.

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