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France and Philippines elevate defence ties with historic air force mission first
- The Philippines’ inclusion in the French air force’s annual Pegase 24 mission highlights the importance of Indo-Pacific security to Paris
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For the first time, France has included the Philippines in its annual Indo-Pacific air force mission, a move analysts say underscores Paris’ commitment to the region’s security as well as strategic interests in its trade routes and defence markets.
The Philippines’ stopover under the Pegase 24 – a yearly French Air and Space Force mission to the Indo-Pacific to demonstrate air power projection – is the latest in a series of moves by Paris to build closer security ties with Manila since the two countries first began talks on enhancing military cooperation in December.
“Noticeably, in the past three years, Paris has expanded its defence cooperation with the Philippines. A deeper, more comprehensive agreement seems like a natural progression,” said Don McLain Gill, geopolitical analyst and lecturer at De La Salle University’s Department of International Studies.
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As part of its annual Pegase mission, this year will see a contingent of French aircraft making a stopover at Clark Airbase, located 93km northwest of Manila. Clark was formerly operated by the US military until 1991.
Speaking at a conference last week on the eight anniversary of The Hague’s landmark ruling in favour of the Philippines in an arbitration over territorial rights in the South China Sea, Marie Fontanel, France’s ambassador to the Philippines, said the mission would demonstrate France’s commitment to upholding freedom of navigation as essential to keeping an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.
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