Nouméa, January 10, 2024 - France, as an Indo-Pacific nation, actively participates in the security of the South Pacific territories. To do this, it deploys significant military resources in the region, in particular through the Armed Forces in New Caledonia (FANC) and the Armed Forces in French Polynesia (FAPF).
These forces, made up of 1,650 and 1,200 personnel respectively, have the missions of ensuring French sovereignty in the region, protecting French citizens residing there and providing assistance to neighboring countries affected by natural disasters.
The FANC and the FAPF are essential to contribute to the resilience of the South Pacific territories, which are highly exposed to climatic hazards. During the volcanic eruption in the Tonga Islands in 2022, the French armed forces in the Pacific carried out several aid and relief missions, in particular by delivering humanitarian cargo.
In order to be operational during these disasters, the FANC and the FAPF organize and participate in numerous military exercises. This is evidenced by the Marara exercises in 2022 and Southern Cross in 2023 which simulated reactions to natural disasters.
France is also engaged with Australia and New Zealand through the FRANZ agreement, which provides for trilateral coordination for the implementation of emergency humanitarian interventions in the event of natural disasters in the island states of the South Pacific. .
The FANC and FAPF also have the mission of monitoring French territorial waters and fighting against illegal fishing and trafficking. The area is indeed a source of covetousness because of its numerous riches.
