The “PEGASE 2022: The Role of Air Power” seminar co-organised by the Embassy of France in Singapore and RSIS discussed the PEGASE 2022 Mission in the context of air power and, more broadly, defence diplomacy amidst security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. PEGASE 2022 was carried out by the French Air and Space Force, where three RAFALE B, two A330-MRTT PHÉNIX, three A400M ATLAS, one A330-200 MRTT, and one CN-235 CASA were deployed in the Asia-Pacific. This mission aimed to affirm France’s presence in this strategic area and strengthen links with regional partners.

Held on 15 September 2022, the seminar kicked off with opening remarks delivered by Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman of RSIS, and Ambassador Marc Abensour, the Ambassador of France to Singapore. Following that, Major General Stéphane Groën, Head of the PEGASE 2022 mission, shared on the mission and the role of air power diplomacy. This was followed by a presentation on the role of naval and defence diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific region, delivered by Mr John Bradford, Senior Fellow at the Maritime Security Programme at RSIS. The session was moderated by Ms Wichuta Teeratanabodee, Senior Analyst at the Military Transformations Programme at RSIS.

The four panellists also engaged in a discussion and Q&A session with audience members who come from different industries including defence, diplomacy, aviation, and academia. The questions surrounded the themes of operational details of the PEGASE mission, the roles of defence diplomacy – particularly air power and naval diplomacy in the region, Asia-Europe security challenges, and ways forwards to strengthen collaborative security and partnerships between Asia and Europe.