The visit by the Malaysian defense minister and senior military officials took place alongside a joint air combat exercise between the carrier’s air wing and the Royal Malaysian Air Force.
On March 2, a delegation of Malaysian officials led by Malaysia’s Defence Minister Yang Berhormat Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin was welcomed aboard the Charles de Gaulle by Axel Cruau, Ambassador of France to Malaysia; Rear Admiral Jacques Mallard, commander of the French Carrier Strike Group; and Captain Georges-Antoine Florentin, commander of the aircraft carrier.
Dato’ Seri Mohamed was accompanied by senior officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Malaysian Armed Forces, including: General Datuk Hj Mohd Nizam bin Hj Jaafar, Chief of Defence Forces; Datuk Lokman Hakim bin Ali, Secretary General of the Ministry of Defence; Admiral Datuk Zulhelmy bin Ithnain, Chief of the Royal Malaysian Navy; Lt. Gen. Datuk Seri Muhamad Norazlan bin Aris, Deputy Chief of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, Lt. Gen. Dato’ Zahani bin Zainal, Commander of the Malaysian Joint Force Command; Mr. Yani Daud, Deputy Secretary General – Policy.
In a Facebook post made following the visit, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Khaled said he was briefed by Rear Admiral Mallard about the capabilities of the Charles de Gaulle and her air wing, adding that the visit was “part of the efforts of (France) to strengthen defence ties and cooperation in the region, including with Malaysia”.
The visit took place alongside a joint air combat exercise between the French Navy and the Royal Malaysian Air Force off the eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia, with four French Navy Rafales carrying out an air combat exercise with two Su-30MKMs, two F/A-18Ds and two Hawks of the Royal Malaysian Air Force. The Malaysian delegation was able to observe aircraft launch and recovery operations aboard the Charles de Gaulle as part of the exercise.
In a statement, the French Embassy to Malaysia said:
“This type of exercise increases interoperability and strengthens military cooperation mechanisms and processes. This high-level training, and more generally, the interactions performed with partners in the region, first and foremost with Malaysia, illustrate France’s will to regularly deploy military assets from France’s mainland (on top of those permanently positioned and employed in French overseas territories) in the Indo-Pacific, to enforce international law, defend sovereignty, and protect free and open access to common spaces.”
The Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group’s arrival off the eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia follows its stopover in Subic Bay in the Philippines for the carrier’s first-ever port visit to the country. Prior to its port visit, the carrier strike group had conducted a joint patrol of the South China Sea with the Philippine military.
In January, the Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group’s destroyer Forbin trained with Royal Malaysian Navy corvette KD Lekir, its embarked helicopter, and the training ship KD Gagah Samudera from January 16 to 18 as part of Exercise LA PEROUSE 25, with the training focusing on detecting, identifying, and acting against illicit activities at sea, including visiting exercises (VISITEX).
