The Jeanne d’Arc group consisted of the Dixmude L9015 Mistral-class landing helicopter dock and the La Fayette F710 La Fayette-class stealth frigate, which included an army embedded tactical group (GTE) and an army light aviation (ALAT) detachment.

Both French warships conducted a passing exercise on March 30 when they were departing Jakarta to continue their circumnavigation of the globe.

The Indonesian Navy deployed the KRI Bung Tomo multirole corvette and the KRI Bubara patrol boat in the exercise.

First Fleet Sea Combat Task Force (Guspurla) commander Cdre. Heri Triwibowo said such passing exercises were an important part of naval diplomacy.

“[They are] a tool to communicate with and understand each other, train the cooperation of personnel from both navies, improve sailors’ professionalism and strengthen brotherhood among sailors,” he said in statement.

Read also: France to boost military ties with RI through naval mission

Meanwhile, the GTE soldiers conducted a two-day joint exercise with the Indonesian Army’s 328th Dirgahayu airborne battalion at its barracks in Cilodong, Depok, West Java, on March 27 and 28.

The Garuda Guerrier 2023 exercise was the first time the French Army conducted a joint exercise in Indonesia. Guerrier is the French word for warrior.

The French contingent consisted of 117 soldiers while the Indonesian battalion deployed 120 soldiers in an exercise directly led by the GTE’s commanding officer, Maj. Kalfon, and Dirgahayu’s commander, Maj. Fauzan Rifa’o Alfikri.

The exercise included close-quarters combat, obstacle courses, a tactical combat casualty course, offensive combat shooting, pistol shooting, operations planning discussions and a culture day.

“During the Garuda Guerrier joint exercise, we expect soldiers from both countries to share their experiences, cultures and military knowledge to build mutual understanding and respect,” Fauzan said in a statement.

 

Final-year cadets

First mission: A French Army soldier from the Mission Jeanne d’Arc’s GTE embedded tactical group takes part in the Garuda Guerrier 2023 joint exercise with soldiers from the 328th Dirgahayu airbone battalion in Cilodong, Depok, West Java, in this undated picture. The joint exercise was held on March 28-29 and the first for the French Army to be held in Indonesia. (French Defense Ministry/-)

Mission Jeanne d’Arc is a long-term annual operational deployment that marks the end of the training course for cadets at the French Naval Academy. This year’s mission, which lasts for about five months, included nearly 800 sailors and soldiers, including nearly 160 cadets, as well personnel from the GTE and ALAT detachments.

The GTE detachment included 40 Panhard VBL light armored vehicles while the ALAT detachment had two Aerospatiale Gazelle light armed scout helicopters.

Also onboard were foreign cadets from Belgium, Benin, Cameroon, Chile, Congo Brazzaville, Djibouti, Egypt, Japan, Madagascar, Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, the Republic of Seychelles, Senegal, Tunisia and Vietnam, as well as others from various French military schools.

The group left Toulon, the French Mediterranean Fleet base, on Feb. 8 and will arrive back home by mid-July, when the cadets will graduate and prepare for their first deployments.

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The mission travels to areas of strategic interest that include the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, the Red Sea, the Indian and Pacific Oceans and the Caribbean Sea.

The group is also conducting exercises and operations in Egypt, Djibouti, India, Singapore, Australia, New Caledonia, Fiji, Tonga, French Polynesia, the Clipperton Atoll, Mexico, Guadeloupe and Martinique before heading back to Toulon across the Atlantic.

This year’s mission is the first time a French landing helicopter dock will circumnavigate the world, a voyage that will include passing through the Panama Canal.

Read also: France considers RI important in Indo-Pacific region