US and French officials met to discuss how the two organizations can further cooperate in the European and global theater in the field of hydrography and oceanography.
“We intend to continue to develop collaboration with our French allies to provide the tactical advantage to our respective fleets for combined carrier battle group and submarine warfare operations.” Piret said. “The only way to get ahead of the adversary is through partnership, which is at the heart of naval oceanography strategy, because we regard ‘partnership’ as a necessity for the advantage of war…for our two countries, the partnership is integrated into the basis of national defence.”
The foundations of this visit are in line with the priorities of the National Defense Strategy (NDS) 2022: (1) defend the homeland, keeping pace with the growing threat in several areas; (2) deter strategic attacks against the United States, Allies, and their partners; (3) deterring aggression, while being prepared to prevail in the conflict if necessary; and (4) building a resilient joint and defense force ecosystem.
“SHOM and the French Navy recognize the interest of the cooperation of the last 10 years with the US Navy, in terms of military surveys and the exchange of hydrographic and oceanographic information.” declared the RADM Laurent Kerleguer, director general of SHOM. “It ensures the Navy’s operational superiority at sea and supports the national security of the United States and France.”
SHOM is a global player, present in most of the world’s oceans to provide services to a wide range of civil and military customers. French and American naval forces operate around the world every day.
Kerleguer added, “He also fully supports the goals of the strategic interoperability framework recently signed by the French and US navies.”
The performance of SHOM’s mission has three operational purposes:
- Defense support, in the hydro-oceanographic domains for the preparation of armament and command systems, and operations
- National hydrography, for the needs of surface navigation in waters under French jurisdiction and in areas under French cartographic responsibility
- Support for the development of maritime and coastal activities for the benefit of public authorities and economic players.
Piret met with the following French officials: CAM Laurent Kerleguer, Director General of SHOM; Captain Jean-Luc Provençal, Chief of Staff of the Strategic Oceanic Submarine Force; and Captain Tanguy Durand, commander of the mine warfare staff of the French Air-Maritime Rapid Reaction Force.
“It is an honor to partner with the French Navy, our oldest naval ally, to continue our bilateral efforts in understanding the ocean.” said CDR Jonathan Savage, director of international programs at CNMOC (N5). “Our cooperation is rapidly moving beyond sharing oceanographic and hydrographic information as we continue to seek ways to move forward towards interoperability to gain operational advantage at sea.”
SHOM’s mission is to know and describe the marine physical environment in its relationship with the atmosphere, the seabed and coastal areas, to predict its evolution and to ensure the dissemination of the corresponding information.
The Strategic Oceanic Submarine Force (French: Force Océanique Stratégique, FOST), comprising several French nuclear-powered nuclear-powered submarines based at French naval bases. The French submarine forces include more than 4,000 soldiers and civilians, of whom around 2,000 are submariners.
Under the command of COMFRMARFOR, the mine warfare staff of the Air-Maritime Rapid Reaction Force (FRMARFOR/MW) is responsible for planning and conducting FR MW operations in times of peace, crisis or conflict. The operational staff is organized to provide a maritime component command with responsible MCM authority or MW subject matter experts. Based on maritime MCM & EOD experts, FRMARFOR/MW is also the MW operations laboratory of tomorrow. The staff is in charge of the FR MW data center, which integrates dedicated hydrographic and oceanographic data from SHOM.
The U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command directs and oversees more than 2,500 military and civilian personnel worldwide who collect, process, and use environmental information to help fleet and joint commanders in all war zones make better decisions. , based on guaranteed environmental information, faster than the adversary.
