French Ambassador to the Philippines Michele Boccoz announced on Saturday, June 17, that one of its warships, the FS Lorraine, will be in Manila for a “drill” with the Philippine Navy.
(From left) FS Lorraine is refuelled by the US supply ship USNS Rappahannock in the Philippine Sea (Photo courtesy of ALPACI-France Pacific Command/ Twitter)
However, in her tweet, the envoy didn’t share when the exact arrival of the frigate would be.
“Frigate Lorraine will soon be on port call in Manila. Proud to drill with @dndphl @Philippine_Navy as the Philippines is a strategic partner in #Indopacific #StrongerTogether,” she wrote.
Boccoz retweeted a post by the ALPACI-France Pacific Command that showed photos of FS Lorraine in the Philippine Sea.
The tweet was made early Saturday.
“As part of the Noble Typhoon exercise involving 4 Pacific nations (United States, Japan, Canada, and France flags), destroyer Lorraine was refuelled at sea by the U.S. supply ship USNS Rappahannock on 12 June in the Philippine Sea,” it said.
The post was accompanied by hashtags @INDOPACOM @USNavy @USPacificFleet @Gipper_76 @ambafrancejp and @franceintheus.
Noble Typhoon is a multi-lateral exercise with the US Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, and French Navy.
Earlier, the Japanese Navy also joined the exercise as part of the US’ Large Scale Global Exercise 2023 (LSGE23) “to strengthen coordination with its allies and partner nations in the Indo-Pacific region,” Japan’s Self-Defense Fleet said on its website.
The exercise, which aims to ensure a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” region, would improve the Navies’ tactical skills. It would also strengthen cooperation among them.