On the tarmac of Saint-Denis, Reunion Island, about thirty paratroopers boarded an A400M military transport aircraft for a sea jump exercise off Mayotte, an island 1,400 kilometers to the northwest. This exercise highlights the strategic importance of Reunion and Mayotte for the French military in the Indian Ocean. "Reunion, especially with its air base, acts as a gateway to project influence across the southern part of the Indian Ocean," said Clémentin, the A400M flight commander. Shortly after takeoff, the rear of the aircraft opened to reveal two Rafale fighter jets above the crater of the Piton de la Fournaise, an active volcano. The plane then flew toward Mayotte. After two hours of flight, the side doors opened over the French island: inflatable boats were deployed a few hundred meters from the coast before the paratroopers jumped into the water from an altitude of 500 meters. "The water jump helps us maintain the skill of reaching a land area via the sea, addressing insularity challenges. These are relatively rare drops," noted Lieutenant Colonel Adrien, the operations chief. This exercise was part of the Pégase 26 mission, which stopped in the region at the beginning of October. "The goal is to train for power projection by launching Rafale jets quickly and far, relying especially on the A400M, which can transport passengers and equipment and also perform maritime rescue operations," explained the pilot. The mission began in early September from the Istres Air Base in Bouches-du-Rhône with nine aircraft—four Rafale jets, three A330 MRTT Phénix tankers, and two A400M Atlas planes—and nearly 300 mobilized pilots. It passed through Japan, South Korea, Madagascar, Indonesia, India, and Reunion, with a tactical stop in Greenland. In Reunion, the A400M occasionally supports the 2nd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment, based in Saint-Pierre, which has two transport aircraft. "It was notably sent to Mayotte after Cyclone Chido (end of 2024) to deliver supplies and humanitarian aid. It's a Swiss Army knife," said commander Clémentin. France depends on Reunion and Mayotte to monitor maritime areas and support regional security. These two islands fall under the command of the Armed Forces in the southern part of the Indian Ocean (FAZSOI), which includes about 2,000 military personnel and covers a responsibility area of 24 million square kilometers, stretching from Kenya to Antarctica. "Our regiment’s purpose is to intervene with the population, especially during cyclones or climate crises," explained Lieutenant Colonel Adrien. "One of our priorities is ensuring the security of French citizens in the sub-region. The positioning of forces in Reunion and Mayotte also allows for quicker responses during crises." The FAZSOI also collaborates with neighboring countries, including those in the Indian Ocean Commission and the states bordering the Mozambique Channel, to conduct joint operations against trafficking, maritime threats, and natural disasters. In this vast area, however, other powers are asserting their interests. In Mozambique, the Russian paramilitary group Wagner was deployed in 2019 in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, before its fighters withdrew early in 2020 after suffering losses, according to the conflict monitoring organization ACLED. In the Seychelles, several visits by Russian ships were reported in 2026, indicating growing naval ties between Moscow and the archipelago.