French Aircraft Carrier deploys to Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf, will train with U.S. Navy

The Charles de Gaulle air wing for this deployment includes:
- 10 Rafale M
- 10 Super Etendards Modernisés
- 2 E-2C Hawkeye
- 2 Dolphin Helicopters
- 1 Alouette III Helicopters
- 2 Caracal C-SAR Helicopters

Focus on French – US maneuvers

The French Navy likely named the Operation “Bois Belleau” (Belleau Wood, a famous WWI battle that took place in France and involved the US Army and US Marine Corps) because some major joint Marine Nationale (French Navy) – U.S. Navy maneuvers and exercises are planned. According to the French Navy, operation Bois Belleau will enable the French and US navies to reach the highest level of cooperation to date. The U.S. Carrier Battle Group formed around the Nimitz class Aircraft Carrier USS Harry S. Truman, will be present in the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf at the same time. There will be a joint deployment and close cooperation for five weeks between the two CVBGs. France and the United States are leading strategic partners and the only nations to deploy nuclear-powered aircraft carriers capable of projecting massive fire-power.

The presence of the Charles de Gaulle will also be an opportunity for the French Navy to conduct high-level cooperation with partner countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

As emphasized in the recent White Paper on Defense, the northern region of the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf is an area where French interests are major. France permanently deploys warships in this area for operations against piracy (EU Atalanta mission), war on terror (Task Forces150 and 152), or for purely domestic operations. It is the sixth time since 2001 that Charles de Gaulle will operate in the northern Indian Ocean.