France at Talisman Sabre 2025 ; A military and a diplomatic exercise

Médias

Éric Frécon, associate research fellow at IRASEC, wrote an article for the newspaper from Papua New Guinea Post-Courier about the military exercise Talisman Sabre in wich France participated this year.

Read the article.
 

Last July, France participated in the largest-ever iteration of exercise Talisman Sabre alongside 18 nations.

The purpose of this multilateral Australia-U.S.-led exercise was aimed at enhancing readiness for a wide range of potential Pacific contingencies—signalling that any aggression in the region would provoke a unified allied response. Meanwhile, in May, President Macron reiterated that, for France, as for most of the Southeast Asian countries and Pacific Island countries (PIC), there is no confrontation with China.

Amid growing concerns about China’s rise, how should we understand France’s involvement in these military exercises, which aim not only to deter but also to enhance preparedness and interoperability in the event of a high-intensity conflict ?