A recent military exercise was conducted near New Caledonia. It is part of the five-week Mission Pegase 2022 exercise by the Space Force and French Air, as reported by Nikkei Asia.
The concept is an island called "Badland" showed signs that its invading its neighbor island "Goodland." Therefore, France saw the risk and deployed air assets, and the mission was to reach the theater in 72 hours.
There were three Dassault Rafale fighters, two Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transports (MRTTs), and two A400M Atlas transport aircraft in the South Pacific from France within the given time. The aircraft righters also made fuel stops in India, Sulur, and Darwin in Australia.
Once in the region, Paris observed the situation through a live feed sent from the MRTT aircraft while also giving direct orders to the Rafale pilots to destroy the logistics base of the enemy.
The UK, French, and Germany have been sending maritime assets to the Indo-Pacific. The goal here is to demonstrate that they can project air power to protect the territory or the enemy's territory. It's a way to show France's resolve to ensure the sovereignty of the countries in the protected region.
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Mission Pegase
The mission started early in August, and it entered its final stage last Sunday. It will see the French convoy and a detachment of 170 personnel move from Darwin to Indonesia and Singapore before they head back home.
Maj. Gen. Stephane Groen, the chief of staff of the French Air and Space Force's Air Operations Command and the commander of the drills, will be in Singapore this week to highlight the importance of France as a key partner for the Southeast Asian country in the region.
The two countries signed an agreement on mutual logistics support in June. The French planes will arrive at Singapore Air Force's Paya Lebar Air Base in the eastern part of the country. These air assets can be deployed faster compared to maritime assets.
Looking Forward
The US and Australia are boosting their presence in the region with more military assets and more training with allies and partners. France, Germany, and the UK are following suit.
This approach is better than China's one-way investment in the region. The latter is focused on boosting its influence. The former is focused on improving its relationship with the region, and it's willing to invest in the safety of the region.
The Sino-centric approach is slowly giving way to a US-and Australia-centric approach to the Indo-Pacific. It shows that the US and its allies are willing to spend more on the safety of the region. It's a show of excellent commitment and resolves to prevent China from dominating the region.
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Written by April Fowell
