Carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) pulled into Laem Chabang, Thailand, on Monday for a port visit after three weeks of operating in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, the French Carrier Strike Group is operating in the Bali Sea after wrapping up the French Navy-led multinational exercise La Perouse 25 exercise on Friday.
Carl Vinson pulled into Laem Chabang on Monday according to a Navy release and Thai media reports. The U.S. Navy has not disclosed whether the Carl Vinson CSG’s escorts of cruiser USS Princeton (CG-59) and destroyers USS Sterett (DDG-104) and USS William P. Lawrence (DDG-110) have accompanied Carl Vinson while AIS data showed Princeton as heading to Sriracha Harbor Port, which lies seven miles north of Laem Chabang.
Thai newspaper Bangkok Post reported that Carl Vinson will be docked at Laem Chabang until Friday. The Carl Vinson CSG had been operating in the South China Sea including a drill with the Philippine military in the South China Sea from Jan. 17 to 18. The drills likely prompted the PLA’s Southern Theatre Command to carry out maritime and air readiness patrols “in a bid to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea region,” according to a China Military Online report.
During its voyage to the Gulf of Thailand, aircraft from the Vinson CSG trained with the Royal Malaysian Air Force over Peninsular Malaysia. Pentagon imagery showed U.S. Super Hornets and F-35C Lightning IIs flew with two RMAF Su-30MKMs. U.S. CSGs have routinely conducted DACT in the past with the RMAF where possible owing to the RMAF at one time having two Russian fighter aircraft types in service, namely the Mig-29 and Su-30MKM, allowing U.S. Navy fighter pilots to familiarize themselves against Russian fighter aircraft. Malaysia currently operates 18 Su-30MKMs concentrated in one squadron.
On Sunday, Carl Vinson hosted Thailand’s Defence Minister, Phumtham Wechayachai for a visit to the carrier while it was in the Gulf of Thailand.
On Friday, the French CSG, consisting of carrier FS Charles De Gaulle (R91), destroyer FS Forbin (D620), frigates FS Provence (D652) and FS Alsace (D656), fleet oiler FS Jacques Chevallier (A725) and a nuclear-powered attack submarine wrapped the La Perouse 25 exercise.
The French CSG drilled with Indian Navy destroyer INS Mumbai (D62), Royal Australian Navy (RAN) destroyer HMAS Hobart (DDG39), Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) frigate HMCS Ottawa (FFH341), Royal Navy (RN) offshore patrol vessel HMS Spey (P234) and U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship USS Savannah (LCS-28) in the Lombok Strait from Jan. 21.
Earlier for the Malacca Strait phase of La Perouse 25, Forbin conducted separate drills with Malaysia and Singapore from Jan. 16-20, first with Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) corvette KD Lekir (FSG26), training ship KD Gagah Samudera (271), an RMN fast combat boat and two RMAF F/A-18D Hornet fighters in the Malacca Strait, and with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) littoral mission vessel RSS Independence (15) in the Singapore Strait.
The Sunda Strait phase, taking place from Jan. 16 to 20 saw two French Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) conducting air patrols with Indonesian military observers embarked on the aircraft and joint flights with an Indian Navy P-8I MPA that was deployed for the exercise. At the same time, the French CSG together with Hobart, Spey, Mumbai and Ottawa operated in the Sunda Strait during this period according to a French Navy release.
“With this mission with multiple interactions and objectives, the French Carrier Strike Group demonstrates that it is a tool of naval superiority, power projection and autonomous situation assessment, capable of operating in a complex strategic environment. The deployment of this military capability underlines France’s commitment to freedom of action and maritime and air movement on all the seas and oceans of the globe,” reads the release.
Before La Perouse, the French CSG from Jan. 12 to 14 held the “Back to the 80s” exercise simulating for three days a loss of all modern communication systems such as telephones, emails, secure and instant messaging and communicating with each other, the ships of the CSG had no other means than high frequency or ultra-high frequency radio exchanges, according to a French Navy release. The release stated that the exercise aimed to reduce dependence on satellite network-based communication tools and maintain the know-how of sailors who regularly work in areas not accessible by satellite link, as was the case in the 1980s.
The exercise was an integral part of preparing for high-intensity operations, particularly with the extension of the fields of conflict to space or cyber, making it essential to train and prepare to operate in a degraded environment, particularly without satellite tools, to be able to continue operations at sea. During the three days, the French CSG was able to maintain the operational activities of a force at sea which included carrying out Maritime Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance helicopter flights, Charles De Gaulle refueling from Jacques Chevallier and one of its escorts carrying out air defense taskings.
The Royal Navy on Thursday issued a release detailing Spey’s participation in La Perouse and some of the drills carried out, the release stated that among the activities was Spey carrying out the role of a suspect ship being hunted by the task group in the Java Sea while another day saw Charles De Gaulle’s embarked Rafale M fighter aircraft simulating attacks on the task group. The Lombok Strait phase according to the RN release, concluded with a gunnery exercise with Spey sending warning shots from her 30mm Oerlikon across the bow of Ottawa to simulate forcing an unwilling ship to submit to boarding and later leading a line of ships to shoot at sea targets deployed by the French CSG’s frigate.
While La Perouse was ongoing, the French CSG deployed three Rafale M fighter aircraft on Jan. 21 to Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Darwin to conduct interoperability training with RAAF F-35 Lightning IIs from No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit. This is the second time the French CSG has conducted a long-range deployment operation, known as RASTABAN, in the Indo-Pacific of its embarked fighters, the first time was in 2023 where it deployed Rafale fighters to Singapore from 2000 nautical miles away in the Indian Ocean, RASTABAN 25 involved a shorter distance of 1000 nautical miles according to the French Ministry of Armed Forces operational update.
Currently, the French CSG is around the Bali Sea, an Indonesian Navy release stated that Forbin conducted a passage exercise there on Saturday with the Indonesian Navy frigate KRI Raden Eddy Martadinata (331).
