Expanding Army Cooperation Between the United States and France in the Indo-Pacific
Abstract
France defines itself as a nation of the Indo-Pacific (French Ministry for the Armed Forces,2019a). Approximately 1.6 million French nationals live in the region, mainly on Reunion Island and Mayotte in the Indian Ocean and New Caledonia, the Wallis and Futuna Islands,and French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean (French Ministry for the Armed Forces, 2019a).1More than 80 percent of the French exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the largest in the world after the United States, is in the Indo-Pacific region (Macron, 2018; French Ministry for the Armed Forces,2019a). But while France has long been present in the region, the inclusion of the Indo-Pacific in French strategic priorities is fairly recent. French President Emmanuel Macron officially launched France's Indo-Pacific Strategy during his speech at the Garden Island military base during his May 2018 visit to Australia, endorsing the term Indo-Pacific, which had been in use for several years by such key regional actors as India, Japan, and the United States (French Government, 2021).2 Since then, France has published various documents outlining its overall strategy (French Government,2021), its defense strategy (French Ministry for the Armed Forces, 2018a; 2019a), and its partnerships in the region (MEAE, 2021a). France has also reinforced its defense diplomacy, developing tighter strategic partnerships with Australia, India, and Japan. In November 2020, it created the newposition of Ambassador for the Indo-Pacific Region.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 26, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1191736
Entities
People
- Stephanie Pezard
Organizations
- RAND Corporation