French air force mission makes stopover in Indonesia to boost security ties
Associated Press
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — France’s air force has made a stopover in Indonesia’s capital, part of a visit to Southeast Asia that’s meant to display French commitment to security in the Indo-Pacific region amid growing Chinese maritime activity there. The French mission, named Pegase, is on a weeks-long trip that also included stops in countries including Malaysia and Singapore. It showcased two Rafale fighter jets, a tanker transport plane and one A400M Airbus military transport plane Wednesday. Brig. Gen. Guillaume Thomas, Chief of the 2024 Pagase mission, said the mission aimed to boost military cooperation between France and Indonesia and assert France as a proactive regional power.