Yesterday, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday met with Chief of the French Navy Adm. Pierre Vandier in London, at the First Sea Lord Sea Power Conference.

The two leaders discussed regional security and stability, their shared commitment to maritime security, and interchangeability. They also discussed continuing to strengthen bilateral ties, partnership, and shared values – particularly those laid out in the Strategic Interoperability Framework, which both navies signed in 2021. The framework delivers high-end combined naval forces to operational commanders, and focuses on enhanced interoperability and interchangeability across all maritime domains.

The U.S. Navy and French navy regularly operate together around the globe. Notably, both navies recently participated in this year’s Joint Warrior exercise, and are actively participating in Formidable Shield 2023. They will continue to operate together and are scheduled to participate in other 2023 exercises like Baltic Operations and African Lion, as well as support numerous real-world joint operations.

Gilday and Vandier last met in January 2023, when Vandier hosted Gilday at the inaugural Paris Naval Conference.