defenceWeb
Written by defenceWeb -
A French Mirage 2000 being refuelled over Djibouti.
US Marine Corps and French Air Force members demonstrated joint capabilities over the Horn of Africa on 24 May, with a US aircraft refuelling a French fighter.
Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 234 (VMGR-234) and the 3/11 French Fighter Squadron conducted joint training, enabling both forces to benefit from each other’s unique capabilities, US Africa Command (Africom) said.
“The opportunity to work and train alongside our French partners in Djibouti builds readiness across both forces and enhances interoperability,” said US Army Colonel Jennifer Mykins, the director of operations for Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA). “It shows our shared commitment to stability in the region, ultimately exhibiting the importance of how, as partners, we are stronger together.”
France's armed forces are straining their sinews in Djibouti right now, training in the desert alongside local troops and practicing air defence while elite units are doing assault exercises. Down at Djibouti's port, workers are busy preparing for the arrival of the French Navy's flagship, the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which is due to stop over in March on a mission to the Indian Ocean. "We have unequalled freedom of action and.