The Philippines and France staged a joint maritime exercise in the latest effort by both militaries to improve interoperability and maritime domain awareness. Military of both countries said the drills took place in a “strategic location”.
The Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) was held from Nov. 26 to 28 in the southern part of eastern Mindanao in the Philippines, “a strategic maritime area for both navies,” according to a joint statement by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the French Armed Forces in French Polynesia.
“The Celebes Sea is a strategic location for our partner, the Philippines. For us, it’s a good area for training and increasing our interoperability. The French Carrier Strike Group operated here at the beginning of 2025. It is an important maritime shipping route when coming from Lombok,” the French Armed Forces in French Polynesia told Naval News.
France, it added, is the only European nation with territory in the Pacific—New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and Wallis and Futuna—and its activities aim “to preserve stability and respect for international law.”
The Philippines deployed patrol ship BRP Artemio Ricarte (PS-37), a Philippine Air Force C-208B aircraft, a Black Hawk helicopter and three FA-50 light fighters. France sent a French Floréal-class surveillance frigate (which Naval News understands to be Tahiti-based FS Prairial) and a Dauphin AS365 helicopter.
Exercises included division tactical maneuvers to improve coordination; officer-of-the-watch drills to test navigation, formation changes and command execution; and a replenishment-at-sea approach, the statement said.
“The joint activity is expected to further strengthen mutual trust, operational familiarity and maritime cooperation as both countries continue to work together for regional stability,” the two militaries added.
The drills coincided with the Nov. 26 visit of Brig. Gen. Mickael Le Cam, Director for Asia Pacific at the French Ministry of Armed Forces’ Defense Armament Directorate, to the Philippine Navy headquarters. Le Cam and Philippine Navy vice commander Maj. Gen. Edwin Amadar discussed potential collaboration, technical solutions, and initiatives to support the Navy’s modernization program, the Philippine Navy said.
Negotiations for a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement that would allow joint military exercises on each other’s territory are in the final stages, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said in October. Formal talks began in Paris in June 2025.
The Philippines has similar agreements with the United States, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Canada, and is in preliminary talks with the United Kingdom.
France has increased its defense engagement with Manila in recent years. In February, the French Carrier Strike Group made an unprecedented visit to the Philippines as part of Mission CLEMENCEAU 25.
The Philippines also recently held joint naval exercises with India and Japan in the West Philippine Sea, Manila’s exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea. On Nov. 29, the AFP deployed the BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151), a Philippine Navy AW159 helicopter and a Philippine Air Force C-208B surveillance aircraft, while Japan sent the JS Harusame (DD-102) and an SH-60K helicopter.
On Nov. 26, the AFP also conducted drills involving the BRP Jose Rizal, FA-50 light fighters and a W-3A Sokol search-and-rescue helicopter, alongside India’s INS Sahyadri, a guided-missile frigate equipped with its own helicopter.
