MSDF, French Aircraft Carrier Conduct Joint Drills off Somali Coast

The Yomiuri Shimbun

2:00 JST, January 19, 2023

A Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer and a French Navy carrier strike group led by its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle have conducted joint drills in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia and in the northern Arabian Sea, the Defense Ministry announced Tuesday.

According to the ministry, the drills took place from Jan. 9 through Saturday with MSDF destroyer Suzutsuki — which has been deployed to the area for anti-piracy operations — four French Navy vessels and a U.S. Navy vessel. The drills’ purpose was to strengthen cooperation between the MSDF and French and U.S. navies, and procedures were confirmed for defending naval vessels from attacks from the air.