“We’re getting two French submarines along with the full training over years of several rotations of crew,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said in a Twitter post on December 21.
The foreign affairs secretary made the statement commenting on the recent interactions of French Navy Rubis-class nuclear powered submarine (SSN) FS Émeraude with United States and Japanese naval forces in Western Pacific.
Secretary Locsin added that “only now is a government making the red in our flag stand for something real: the wherewithal to make war in the national defense.”
In November, Naval Group, a French naval systems provider and integrator, announced that it is opening a “representation office in the Philippines to be operated in Manila.”
Naval Group noted that “the opening signifies the first step of a long-term commitment of cooperation and partnership in developing naval capabilities for the country.”
The French company added that it “aims to bring to the Philippines its breadth of experience and unrivalled technical expertise in ships and submarines with combat systems and all critical equipment and services necessary to engage naval power in a theatre of operations.”
Naval Group Senior Executive Vice President for Development Alain Guillou said “we are the only provider with previous experience in helping a country develop a submarine force from scratch and we stand ready to assist the Philippines Navy by providing the submarines but also setting up the training, facilities and supply chain required to operate a fully operational submarine fleet.”
(Mintfo)