CMF welcomes FS Jean Bart to the mission

The French Ship (FS) Jean Bart has joined the Combined Maritime Forces to help promote security, stability and prosperity across almost 2.5 million square miles of international waters.

CMF welcomes FS Jean Bart to the mission

The French Ship (FS) Jean Bart has joined the Combined Maritime Forces to help promote security, stability and prosperity across almost 2.5 million square miles of international waters which contain some of the world’s most important shipping lanes.

FS Jean Bart will contribute to CMF’s two task forces – CTF 150, and CTF 152 – by supporting maritime security and counter-terrorism operations.

Captain Benoît Baudonnière, Commanding Officer of FS Jean Bart, said: “My crew and I are proud to work with CMF and France’s regional allies to sustain the permanent effort of the international community to fight against terrorism and illegal trafficking. Our support to CMF task forces also contributes to strengthen the links with regional nations and to improve interoperability with allied navies.”

Captain Jacques Rivière, France’s Senior National Representative at the CMF headquarters in Bahrain, said: “France is committed to the international effort to ensure freedom of navigation and combat global terrorism and is a steadfast participant in CMF, with a French ship participating approximately 75 per cent of the year.”

FS Jean Bart is an Air Defence Destroyer based in Toulon in the south of France. The warship entered service on 21 September 1991, weighs approximately 5,000 tonnes and has 240 sailors serving on board.

The ship is designed primarily to monitor and coordinate air traffic in a large task group. Fitted with a variety of electronic weaponry, air search systems and medium range Surface to Air Missiles, it is also capable of acting as a command platform for fighter aircraft.

Source: Combined Maritime Forces.