Posted on Jul 4, 2021
French Air Force wraps up mission with U.S. Pacific Air Forces in Hawaii
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About 170 members of the French Air and Space Force are training through Monday at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam with members of the U.S. Pacific Air Forces -- or PACAF.
The program is called Wakea, part of a three-part mission to solidify military cooperation between long time allies -- the U.S. and France. French General Louis Pena explained how these exercises contribute to security for Hawaii and the Indo Pacific region.
"It's a very first time we came here in Hawaii with such a large amount of aircraft. And it's a very first time we learned with fighters in Tahiti, in Polynesia in the French Polynesia. So it's a very brand new mission process. And it demonstrates that we can be a very effective Air Force in the Pacific," Gen. Pena said. "Indo Pac is a very important area. And as you know, French, sorry, France is the only European nations which have territories here in the South Pacific. So it was also the opportunity for us to, I would say, reassure our own citizen, far from Paris, hey guys, you are far from Paris. But if there is a threat, if something happens here in Polynesia, we can fly from France in only two days, and we are able to defend you against each kind of threats. And these rights can be a climatic threat, can be the COVID. We sent an airlift craft a few months ago to add the citizen population, the citizen Polynesian population in Tahiti, to protect them against the COVID with a mass vaccination and so on."
When asked if the mission is in response to recent Russian military exercises near Hawaii last month, Gen. Pena said it is not the reason the French military is in Hawaii.
The program is called Wakea, part of a three-part mission to solidify military cooperation between long time allies -- the U.S. and France. French General Louis Pena explained how these exercises contribute to security for Hawaii and the Indo Pacific region.
"It's a very first time we came here in Hawaii with such a large amount of aircraft. And it's a very first time we learned with fighters in Tahiti, in Polynesia in the French Polynesia. So it's a very brand new mission process. And it demonstrates that we can be a very effective Air Force in the Pacific," Gen. Pena said. "Indo Pac is a very important area. And as you know, French, sorry, France is the only European nations which have territories here in the South Pacific. So it was also the opportunity for us to, I would say, reassure our own citizen, far from Paris, hey guys, you are far from Paris. But if there is a threat, if something happens here in Polynesia, we can fly from France in only two days, and we are able to defend you against each kind of threats. And these rights can be a climatic threat, can be the COVID. We sent an airlift craft a few months ago to add the citizen population, the citizen Polynesian population in Tahiti, to protect them against the COVID with a mass vaccination and so on."
When asked if the mission is in response to recent Russian military exercises near Hawaii last month, Gen. Pena said it is not the reason the French military is in Hawaii.
French Air Force wraps up mission with U.S. Pacific Air Forces in Hawaii
Posted from kitv.com
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam
France
Flying
Training
Hawaii
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
...."It's normal to come here in Hawaii, where the PACAF headquarter is located to share all different doctrines, the way we use our aircraft to know each other better. Because in the future, we cannot we don't know what will be the next engagement together. So we need to understand very well how the states worked with their aircraft here in in the Pacific. And it's essential for us to be sure that the PACAF leaders PACAF units now how's the French are using their aircraft and what are their doctrines," Gen. Pena said. "I hope we will come back very often here in the Pacific, to continue to to make the links stronger and stronger each year."....
...."It's normal to come here in Hawaii, where the PACAF headquarter is located to share all different doctrines, the way we use our aircraft to know each other better. Because in the future, we cannot we don't know what will be the next engagement together. So we need to understand very well how the states worked with their aircraft here in in the Pacific. And it's essential for us to be sure that the PACAF leaders PACAF units now how's the French are using their aircraft and what are their doctrines," Gen. Pena said. "I hope we will come back very often here in the Pacific, to continue to to make the links stronger and stronger each year."....
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