France Joined Japan & US in Pacific Maritime War Training

By Kris Osborn, Warrior

In February of 2025, the FS Charles De Gaulle, USS Carl Vinson and a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force warship all participated in a massive multi-deck exercise called Pacific Steller 2025 in the Celebes Sea. 

Clearly allied air-power-projection and warship synergy is a critical and important activity for the US, France and Japan to engage in, yet the success of the three-nation exercise suggests additional promising variables of tactical significance.  What matters more than the simple fact that these ships were able to operate together in multi-national formations, is that the exercise seems to indicate that all three nations were able to “share” data and communicate with one another across maritime warfare formations. 

Aegis Combat System Countries

This is not a small accomplishment, and it is likely enabled to a large extent by the fact that France, Japan and the US are all Aegis Combat System nations; this means all three nations share a common radar, fire control and command and control configuration involving both hardware and software commonality.  Aegis Combat System, now in use with many US-allied nations, consists of an integrated suite of technologies enabling ships to “see,” “track” and “intercept” incoming enemy ballistic missiles at sea. 

Should French, Japanese and US Carrier Strike Groups operate with an ability to share and “pass-off” targeting and threat-tracking detail with one another across warfare formations, the US and its allies would greatly enhance a defensive envelope or protective perimeter across key parts of the Pacific. With warships from each carrier strike group using Aegis radar to scan a specific field of view for threats, all three countries could form a protective “wall” across areas of the Pacific able to defend Japan or Taiwan. 

Stopping China

Technologically speaking, this means that the transport layer interfaces, IP protocol and data management systems are able to operate in coordination with one another to successfully pass information. This is critical for the Charles De Gaulle as it can function as a “node” across a larger combat formation and contribute to multi-national deterrence efforts. 

The protections offered by Aegis are multi-layered, as Baseline 9 Aegis Combat Systems are able to integrate ballistic missile and air-and-cruise-missile defense onto a single system. This integrates threat tracking data and could enable warships from any of the three countries to “see” and “intercept” approaching threats from much greater stand-off ranges. This gives commanders more time with which to decide upon which countermeasure or area of layered defense would be optimal for a given threat. 

NATO Extends to Stop China

There is yet another critical strategic element to this, as France’s ability to support the US and its allies in the Pacific suggests that European countries can play an important role in efforts to deter China.  The possibility that NATO members, particularly one such as France with an aircraft carrier and Aegis Combat System, to contribute to the increasingly vital efforts to form a multi-national force capable of deterring or stopping any kind of People’s Liberation Army attack.  

Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University