Around 40 Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel and two Wildcat helicopters have joined the French naval task force, Jeanne D’Arc, for a five-month mission.
The ship’s port calls will include Jakarta, Bali, Darwin, Saigon and Singapore.
British personnel will take part in amphibious exercises and Defence Engagement, building on the UK’s successful participation in last year’s Jeanne D’Arc mission.
The UK’s contribution to France’s annual Jeanne D’Arc naval deployment demonstrates a shared commitment from both countries to enhance their maritime cooperation in home waters and around the world, in support of global security and prosperity and protection of freedom of navigation. This priority was agreed at the UK-France Summit in January 2018.
The deployment is part of the UK’s wide-ranging programme of bilateral defence cooperation with French forces, which includes the development of the Combined Joint Expeditionary Force, a rapidly deployable joint UK-French force that can respond to crises.
British and French forces also operate together as members of NATO, with France agreeing to contribute troops to the UK-led enhanced Forward Presence battlegroup in Estonia in 2019.
If you would like to join our community and read more articles like this then please click here.
Post written by: Matt Brown
RELATED ARTICLES
December 15, 2025
Maritime - Autonomous Submarine Delivered to the Royal Navy
The Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) has formally handed over the experimental vessel XV Excalibur to the Royal Navy, marking a
December 15, 2025
Homeland - Upskilling the defence workforce
The UK government has announced the introduction of new short courses designed to upskill the existing workforce within the defence
