The event was initially announced by ALPACI (France’s Pacific Command) on social media:
“Organized for the 1st time by France, the Asia Pacific Submarine Conference will take place from 12 to 14/12 in Tahiti. ALFOST, with the support of ALPACI, will bring together the submarine forces of Asia Pacific nations for exchanges on the theme of submarine rescue and safety”.
ALFOST is the acronym for France’s Strategic Oceanic Force Command, the command in charge of submarines (both SSNs and SSBNs).
Naval News contacted the office of the Joint Chief of Staffs of the French military (Cabinet du Chef d’état-major des armées – EMA) to learn more. Here is our Q&A:
Naval News – Which topics will be discussed at the conference?
EMA – This seminar focuses on survival and rescue, which is an issue that concerns all submariners. This conference, entitled APSC for Asia Pacific Submarine Conference, was initiated by the United States in 2001, around the theme of submarine rescue. This conference, which takes place every year in one of the neighboring countries, is an important opportunity for meetings between representatives of submarine forces and makes it possible to create/maintain links in order to improve our interoperability on the subject. This is the first time that France is the organizer. Due to the COVID epidemic, the last meeting dates back to 2019 in San Diego, California.
Naval News – Which French officers will participate?
EMA – Rear Admiral DUMOULIN, deputy to the commander of the French submarine forces, accompanied by a delegation of experts in the field.
Naval News – Which foreign navies have been invited (and which admirals or leaders of flotillas or submarine squadrons?).
EMA – As its name suggests, this seminar concerns submariners from the Asia-Pacific region, either because they sail there, or because they live there, but the list of participants is not made public.
Naval News – Will submarines (French and foreign) call in Tahiti during this conference?
EMA – For operational security reasons we cannot give you more details on the activity of the submarines.
Naval News – Can the facilities of the naval base in Tahiti support submarines?
EMA – A submarine requires specific support which would require additional personnel and equipment. It is also necessary to distinguish between the support of a conventional submarine and that of a nuclear submarine, which is even more demanding in terms of support and redundancies.
Regular participants to the Asia Pacific Submarine Conference include the U.S. Navy, Republic of Singapore Navy, JMSDF, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, as well as some Latin America navies (such as Peru and Argentina).
While the seal of the 2022 conference shows a Barracuda type / Suffren-class SSN, it is not clear if the new generation submarine of the French Navy will sail all the way to Tahiti for the event. Only one is currently operational with the French Navy: The first boat-in-class Suffren. The second one, Dugay-Trouin, is set to start sea trials this month.
French submarine in Asia Pacific
For the record, the French Navy last year deployed Rubis-class SSN Emeraude to the Asia-Pacific region. The “Marianne” mission saw the SSN and a support vessel sail from Toulon naval base to the Philippine Sea via the South China Sea, the Sunda Strait, the Mariana Trench, Australia and the U.S. base on Guam Island where the two ships carried out a crew change.
French (interim) submarines for Australia?
The conference will take place amid a renewed French proposal for submarines to Australia. According to French daily newspaper Le Monde, French president Emmanuel Macron publicly stated that France “still” had an offer to sell submarines to Australia “on the table”. This statement was made during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Thailand in mid-November. French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, subsequently confirmed that the submarines being proposed were conventional and not nuclear-powered.
Naval News‘ Australia-based correspondent, Benjamin Felton, said:
“While it’s not an official requirement, speculation is growing in Australia that an interim submarine will be required to bridge the gap between Collins LOTE and whatever AUKUS produces. Indeed, several submarine manufacturers, including Saab, DSME/Hanwha and now Naval Group (or the French Government) have made it clear that they’re ready and willing to perform such a task. Out of these offerings, France’s offer is arguably the most concrete, at least publically, though the Republic of Korea has also made public commitments. Hopefully, the release of the AUKUS ‘optimal pathway’ and Australia’s Defence Strategic Review (DSR) next year will shine some light on the whole affair.”
