A French naval carrier strike group, including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier FNS Charles De Gaulle, that is currently deployed in the Indian Ocean will participate in the Varuna naval exercise with Indian warships to strengthen maritime security in the region.

The carrier strike group is in the Indian Ocean as part of the French Navy’s Mission Clemenceau 25, which is aimed at protecting the country’s interests in the Indo-Pacific and contributing to European operations in the region.

The carrier strike group has been conducting joint training exercises with France’s “regional partners and allies, notably India”, the French embassy said in a statement on Friday.

As part of Mission Clemenceau 25, the French carrier strike group and Indian warships will conduct the 42nd annual Varuna bilateral exercise. “The aim of this aero-naval training is to develop interoperability between our two navies, and to prepare crews to deal with a multi-milieu threat (air, surface, submarine) as part of a coalition,” the statement said.

“As resident nations of the Indian Ocean, France and India regularly cooperate to contribute to maritime safety in the region,” it said.

The group, which includes an air fleet and escort vessels such as frigates and supply ships, will have a stopover at Goa and Kochi from January 4, the statement said. The 42,500-tonne aircraft carrier FNS Charles De Gaulle carries a complement of aircraft and helicopters, including Rafale M combat jets.

From India, the French warships will move on to the Indonesian zone for Exercise La Perouse, and to the Pacific Ocean for Exercise Pacific Steller.

The French Navy has been focusing on the Indo-Pacific because of two key factors – the presence of 1.5 million French citizens on island territories, and the country’s exclusive economic zone of more than 11 million sq km, the second largest in the world, with 93% or 9 million sqkm in the Indo-Pacific.

The statement described India as “France’s foremost strategic partner since 1998”, and said that the “excellent Indo-French military cooperation is characterised by numerous bilateral exercises, such as Shakti on land, Varuna at sea and Garuda in air”.

India also plays host for operational stopovers by French warships, including 16 port calls since 2022.

Since 2008, France has been a member of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), initiated by New Delhi to bring together 25 navies from Indian Ocean states. The forum works to increase collective effectiveness in tackling maritime issues such as illegal trafficking, illegal fishing, search and rescue and pollution.

In the Indian Ocean, the French Navy is involved in a number of missions, including the European Union’s Atalanta operation to combat piracy and drug trafficking, the international Combined Task Force 150 to combat illicit trafficking, and the European Union’s Aspides operation to ensure maritime safety and freedom of navigation from Suez to Hormuz.