From 32 countries, the French overseas collectivities and 5 regional organisations in the Indopacific region, 55 participants are currently gathered in France to take part in the rich and varied programme of the International Session for the Indopacific (SIIP).
The programme for these five days includes field visits (naval air bases, French Navy buildings, etc.), committee work and numerous lectures by high-level speakers.
Among them was Rear Admiral Guillaume Pinget, Commander of the Asia-Pacific Zone and the Armed Forces in French Polynesia (ALPACI), who spoke on the subject of «French military presence and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific maritime area». A subject currently embodied by the HIMANTURA mission.
From September to December 2025, the Armed Forces in French Polynesia (FAPF) will be deploying the Prairial surveillance frigate and a Falcon 50M Triton aircraft from the 25th Flotilla, on its annual ASIA 2025 mission, named HIMANTURA.
HIMANTURA is the second deployment of French forces to the vast Pacific theatre in 2025, following on from the CLEMENCEAU 25 mission. These deployments help to raise the profile of the French forces, confirming their operational qualities and their ability to project far and wide.
HIMANTURA demonstrates France's full and continuing involvement as a sovereign nation bordering the Indopacific, France's commitment to a «free and open» Indo-Pacific space in a context of heightened political tensions, and the quality of its operational military partnerships with the nations of the Indo-Pacific.
A FIRM AND ONGOING COMMITMENT FROM FRANCE
The HIMANTURA deployment was punctuated by three major multilateral sequences:
1/ SAMASAMA, a multilateral maritime surveillance and security exercise (Philippines, United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Italy, Thailand) held in the Philippines from 6 to 17 October, in which the F50 took part, carrying out flights in the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea.
2/ ANNUALEX, a multilateral (Japan, United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand) multi-domain high-intensity exercise held in Japan from 19 to 22 October, to which France was invited for the first time, and to which it contributed with the FS Prairial.
3/ Enforcement Coordination Cell - ECC, international cooperation cell (Japan, United States, Republic of Korea, France, Germany, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Canada) for the observation and reporting of maritime traffic to North Korea in violation of UN sanctions S/RES/2371, S/RES/2375 and S/RES/2397 relating to UN Security Council Committee 1718.
From 22 October to 11 November, France carried out its 11th deployment for ECC since 2018. This latest event is marked by the first participation of the F50M, an aircraft that arrived at the 25th Polynesian flotilla in April 2025. Equipped with Triton technical surveillance capabilities, the F50M carried out 11 patrols to monitor illicit trafficking in the East China Sea, Sea of Japan and Yellow Sea. The sequence enabled us to deepen our partnerships, in particular with the Japanese, South Koreans and the 7th US Navy fleet.
The navigation and transit of French forces in the South China Sea as part of HIMANTURA illustrate France's firm and ongoing commitment to the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Montego Bay Convention). An autonomous deployment punctuated by partnership sequences, HIMANTURA illustrates France's unique posture of balance, which preserves French strategic autonomy while guaranteeing full integration into the dynamics of Indo-Pacific partnerships.
