Curls are seen and closely observed by many as France, Japan, and the United States are above board in an 11-day multi-large deck event in the Philippine Sea aimed at advancing coordination and cooperation among the participating nations.
Known by its initials MLDE and called Exercise Pacific Steller 2025, it is hosted by the French navy and involves ships from the US Navy, the French Carrier Strike Group, and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The Philippine Sea is a vital maritime region that connects the Western Pacific, the South China Sea, and important global trade routes and a focal point for security operations in the Indo-Pacific.
The Philippine Sea is a section of the western North Pacific Ocean, lying east and north of the Philippines, and the floor of this portion of the ocean is formed into a structural basin by a series of geologic folds and faults that protrude above the surface in the form of bordering island arcs.
Participating in the trilateral event are the French Carrier Strike Group — centered around the Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier – and ships from the US Navy’s Vinson Carrier Strike Group, and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
This MLDE, sailing on the east and north of this archipelago which is protecting itself from continuing harassment in its exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea by superior foreign vessels, is designed to advance coordination and cooperation among French, Japanese and US maritime forces while simultaneously demonstrating capabilities in multi-domain operations, promoting a shared dedication to regional stability, and highlighting the US Navy’s enduring power projection capability.
This month’s MLDE follows a similar event in August 2024 between the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and the Italian Navy aircraft carrier ITS Cavour, the first between them in the Indo-Pacific region.
Official sources say MLDEs are conducted in a manner consistent with international law and with due regard to the safety of navigation and the rights and interests of other states.
The French Carrier Strike Group is at present engaged in Mission Clemenceau 25, sailing alongside its allies and strategic partners to promote a free, open and stable Indo-Pacific space for the benefit of French populations, interests, and those of their regional partners, within the framework of international law.
The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is operating in the area of operations of the US 7th Fleet, the US Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.