The La Perouse exercise is led by France and centered around the French CSG (also called TF 473) – currently on deployment for the Clemenceau 25 mission – brings together nine countries including Canada, the United States, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Australia, the United Kingdom and Singapore. This force gathers 13 ships and about 130 aircrafts of all types (helicopters, MPAs, fighter jets).
Regarding the ships involved, as previously reported by Naval News, the CSG consists in the carrier itself, an Horizon-type air defense destroyer, an Aquitaine-class frigate (ASW FREMM), an air defense FREMM (FREMM DA, which, Naval News understands is likely to be Alsace), a Suffren-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN), a logistics support ship (the Jacques Chevallier) and a Loire-class metropolitan offshore support and assistance vessel. The air wing is set to include two E-2C Hawkeye AEW aircraft, about 24 Rafale Marine and four helicopters.
Naval News can confirm that Canada is participating with the Halifax-class frigate HMCS Ottawa and on its side, UK can count on the presence of one of its River-class OPV, HMS Spey. Malaysia deployed the corvette KD Lekir and the training ship KD Gagah Samudera. Australia is present with the destroyer HMAS Hobart, and the U.S. Navy is represented by the LCS USS Savannah. Finally, India has deployed INS Mumbai destroyer, and Singapore the LMV RSN Independence.
The main objectives of La Perouse exercise are to “provide maritime safety with regional partners and multinational coalition assets in the 3 main straits detrimental to commercial shipping”, and “sharing information and coordinating their actions against multiple threats thanks to the communication and coordination system IORIS”.
This exercise is performed in two steps. First of all, from January 16th to 20th, the coalition will focus on the two main straits of the area which are the Malacca and the Sunda straits. If the first is well publicly known for being the world’s most used straits, the Sunda strait is much less used, but no less strategic. It connects the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea through the Indonesian Java and Sumatra islands. In a second phase, from January 21st to 24th, the CSG will sail further East to “secure” the Lombok strait.
In a LinkedIn post, the French CSG Commanding Officer, Rear Admiral Jacques Mallard commented the exercise as follow:
“Together, the countries bordering the area are joining forces to train each other to strengthen maritime safety in this region, where over 50% of the world’s maritime traffic is concentrated, and the safety issues that this entails.”
As the Admiral points out, the area is strategic in every way. The area is subject to numerous challenges, such as piracy, illegal immigration, drug trafficking, natural disasters. This exercise rehearse responses that can be brought to these.
According to Naval News‘ Indonesian contributor, Fauzan Malufti, “the La Perouse 25 exercise highlights the strategic significance of Indonesia and its maritime choke points. Jakarta will be a target for influence/pressure by competing powers who would seek to secure access to these vital routes if a major conflict breaks out in SCS/East Asia”.
While not the focus of this exercise, the areas in which it is taking place are equally important for China and its supplies – the country’s Achilles heel. These three straits are used extensively by Chinese fleets, both commercial and military, and represent for the Chinese authorities the famous Malacca dilemma. The latter consists in the lack of alternatives and the vulnerability to a naval blockade of the Strait of Malacca and, to a greater extent, of the other straits in the region.
Following this exercise, the CSG will port call in Indonesia for a few days where 2 French MPAs Atlantique 2 landed to complement the CSG, before heading back to the Pacific for another major exercise: “Pacific Steller” with the US, Japanese, Australian and Canadian navies.
-Article updated on January 17th. 2025–
