Recently, the Asian Studies Center of the French Institute of International Relations released a report on the deployment of the French Navy's "Brittany" frigate in the Indo Pacific region. The report was written by French defense experts who followed the escort ship "Brittany" on a mission, introducing the ship's navigation trajectory and the significance of this operation. The "Brittany" is an anti submarine frigate with a standard displacement of 6040 tons. The Aquitaine class frigates it belongs to and the Italian Begami class frigates are both from the "European Multi purpose Escort" (FREMM) project. The FREMM frigates of the two countries have some differences in weapon equipment and design details. The report states that in April of this year, the "Brittany" frigate left its home port of Brest, arrived in the Indian Ocean via the Mediterranean, Suez Canal, and Red Sea, then entered the Pacific Ocean, arrived in Guam, and participated in the "Rim of the Pacific" multinational maritime exercise near Hawaii. After the exercise, the escort ship "Brittany" went to Yokosuka Port in Japan for crew rotation and then set sail back to France. The French Navy dispatched the escort ship "Brittany" to deploy in the Indo Pacific region, mainly considering the following factors. Firstly, enhance the military presence in the Indo Pacific region. France has multiple overseas provinces and territories in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, including Reunion Island, French Polynesia, and New Caledonia. France has deployed about 8000 military personnel, 12 ships, and 40 aircraft in relevant areas to undertake tasks such as patrolling the exclusive economic zone, maritime surveillance, and humanitarian rescue. However, France still believes that its military capabilities in these regions are limited and it is necessary to continue strengthening its military presence. Secondly, strengthen relationships with regional partner countries. The report states that the deployment purpose of the "Brittany" frigate is to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with regional navies through port visits, joint exercises, and other forms, and establish long-term stable partnerships with them. During its deployment in the Indo Pacific region, the "Brittany" frigate visited countries and regions such as India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Guam, Hawaii, and Japan to deepen its connections with regional partners. Finally, improve interoperability. During its deployment, the "Brittany" frigate conducted bilateral or multilateral military exercises with naval vessels from countries such as India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, and Italy. During the participation in the "Rim of the Pacific" multinational maritime joint exercise, the ship also joined the US Navy carrier battle group. US Navy vessels have shared some programs and encrypted communication channels with the USS Brittany frigate, improving interoperability between the two sides. The report also raised some concerns and worries regarding this deployment operation. On the one hand, for the "Brittany" frigate and its crew, long-term deployment tasks pose significant challenges in terms of logistical support. For example, the 3-week sea voyage from Toulon, France to Singapore places high demands on the management of fuel, fresh water, and food reserves for the ships, and the selection and arrangement of various supply points require careful planning. On the other hand, the French Navy has deficiencies in strategic communication, which may raise doubts about the true intention of this operation from the outside world. Analysts believe that the deployment of the "Brittany" frigate in the Indo Pacific region has more symbolic significance than substantive significance, and has little effect on strengthening France's military influence in the region. In addition, considering that the French Navy still primarily operates in the Atlantic and Mediterranean regions, it is expected that a large number of main warships will not be deployed to the Indo Pacific region in the future. (New Society)