On this page:

• Summary
• Military capability
• Military Cooperation with Australia

Summary

In the division of responsibility between the French state and the Government of New Caledonia, France is responsible for justice, public order, money, international relations, and defence. Therefore, it is responsible for the Gendarmerie Nationale (the police) and the French Armed Forces in New Caledonia (FANC).

The FANC protect the French territory and Exclusive Economic Zone, as well as offering limited humanitarian assistance/disaster response, emergency service, and firefighting capabilities alongside New Caledonia’s Civil Security Agency.

With three French territories and approximately 3,000 military personnel in the region, France is the only European country with the capacity to make a substantial security contribution to the South Pacific. Since 1992, French forces have collaborated under the FRANZ agreement with Australia and New Zealand to help coordinate delivery of Humanitarian and Disaster Relief (HADR) to Pacific Island states. Along with the US, this group also forms the “Pacific Quad”, helping small Pacific nations monitor their large maritime territories.

France’s 2018 Indo Pacific Strategy seeks to increase its sphere of influence in the region by strengthening security, economic, and environmental partnerships. This comes at a time when China is gaining influence in the region by offering Pacific Island leaders generous economic incentives. The recent civil unrest in New Caledonia is threatening France’s strategic agenda by drawing attention to the issue of independence. Many nations in the region have grappled with their own colonial past and have been critical of France’s response to the latest crisis.

France recently participated in a range of military exercises with regional partners including Australia, New Zealand, India, US, and Japan. In September 2023, France and Japan conducted a joint land exercise, Bruet-Takamori 2023, in New Caledonia involving 350 FANC and 50 Japanese personnel. This was the first bilateral exercise involving Japanese troops on French soil.

Military Capability

The FANC consists of an Army, Navy, and Airforce with a total of 1750 personnel. The Army includes 700 soldiers who are mostly deployed on 4-6-month rotations from France. In 2018, only 30 personnel had been recruited locally. The Navy is based at the Pointe Chalaix Naval Base and includes several medium and small vessels. The Flagship is a frigate of the French Navy called Vendémiaire named after the first month of the republican calendar. The Airforce includes surveillance craft, transport craft, and helicopters.

The New Caledonia National Gendarmerie is a paramilitary force that has up to 850 personnel. They are a branch of the armed forces under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior. In addition to performing some military duties, they are also responsible for riot control, public order, general policing, and criminal investigations.

During a visit to New Caledonia on 24-26 July 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the establishment of a ‘military academy’ to serve as a regional security/law enforcement training centre. This is an expansion of the already existing Pacific Leaders Training Centre (Academie du Pacifique). At a public address in Noumea’s town square during the visit, President Macron announced up to 200 additional personnel and EUR150 million in funding for FANC. He said local youth would also benefit from additional military supported training and education.

Military Cooperation with Australia

Military cooperation between France and Australia suffered when Australia, under then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison, cancelled a $90 billion contract to purchase French attack submarines in favour of the AUKUS agreement between Britain and the US. The French Government was particularly unhappy with a perceived lack of transparency about the new deal which they regarded as a breach of trust. However, things have improved since Australia has made proactive steps to mend the relationship, including paying $850 million in compensation to the French Naval Group.

In 2022-23, FANC participated for the first time in EX PITCH BLACK 22, KAKADU 22, and TALISMAN SABRE 23. They also deployed to Tonga alongside Australian and Fijian forces in support of OPERATION TONGA ASSIST 22. Australia was the second largest contributor to the France-led humanitarian assistance/disaster relief exercise Croix Du Sud 2023. This was the largest iteration in over 20 years (after a five-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the New Caledonian referendums on independence) involving over 3000 personnel from 19 countries. In late 2020, defence ties were strengthened further with the establishment of a new Australian Defence Force Liaison Officer to FANC.

For further information on New Caledonia’s security, see the resources below:

Video

1. https://youtu.be/p5lLZueFgH0?si=CEbdEYjnE6llLt-i

Articles

1. One year, three agreements: shaping thinking on regional security (DevPolicy Blog)
2. Maritime mentor makes a difference (Defence Australia)
3. Penny Wong says Vanuatu security deal will be made public unlike China-Solomons agreement (The Guardian)
4. Australia and France take part in huge military exercise after tense couple of years – ABC News
5. Australian government agrees to pay $835 million to French submarine contractor Naval Group over cancelled contract – ABC News