The Tangwall Campagin. In five months, you went from the Atlantic to the Baltic, then to the Middle East and the Indian Ocean. In what context does this deployment fit into the history of the French Navy?
Thibaut Haudos of Possesse. It is an exceptional deployment, carried out in a context where the Americans are asking Europeans to take greater responsibility for their own security, particularly in the North Atlantic. France is taking its part within the framework of NATO. In the Middle East, we are used to seeing carrier groups bombing crisis zones.
This time, the aircraft carrier played a different role: it gave weight to political speech, not by what it did, but by what it was able to do, in order to obtain diplomatic and political results.
When Donald Trump orders strikes against Iran, on February 28, the ship is in the Baltic Sea. Are you already starting to consider a redeployment towards the south, even before receiving the official order from the General Staff of the Armed Forces?
My role is to look at the horizon and ask myself where the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces could commit the carrier group to the service of France. From the first American strikes against Iran, I immediately thought of this area. I then ask my staff to prepare the different engagement options. This is the French method: anticipate so that, when the order comes, everything is practically ready.
The presence of the carrier group allowed France to have an independent assessment of the situation. What does an aircraft carrier that we cannot see from Paris actually bring?
When we arrive in the Eastern Mediterranean at the beginning of March, the President of the Republic sets three priorities. The first consists of protecting the French influence, our nationals and the French soldiers deployed in the region. At that time, approximately 4,000 French soldiers are already present between Abu Dhabi, Djibouti and Lebanon.
“ Adversaries seek to gather intelligence on carrier strike group activity »
We are arriving with 3,000 additional sailors. Second, the president asks us to protect Cyprus, a member of the European Union and an ally of France. Finally, he asks us to continue our situation assessment missions in crisis theaters, in particular concerning Ukraine, but also the operations carried out in Lebanon by Israel.
How to follow what was happening in these different theaters?
We observe the tactical and operational movements of the different actors present in the area. We carry out intelligence missions. Our planes are capable of going very far, even into the depths of Syrian and Iraqi territories. All the information collected is then transmitted to the strategic level, where it is cross-referenced with that coming from other sensors. This allows you to refine your analysis of the situation and make the best possible decisions.
What was your role in protecting Cyprus?
Our frigates were deployed between Syria and Cyprus. Ballistic missiles were fired towards the island. Our ships detected them and immediately alerted the Cypriot authorities, with whom we were in constant contact. The calculations made by our radars showed that these Iranian missiles were going to fall back into the sea.
Was the French fleet the target of intelligence assets, drones or hostile behavior during this deployment?
I want to say that it has become quite classic. The behavior is not hostile, but everyone seeks to gather information on the activity of the carrier battle group. I am thinking of Russian frigates, drones which may be Israeli or even maritime patrol planes from different countries when we pass through certain areas. It has become part of everyday life. Obviously, we treat each of these situations with the same concentration and professionalism.
Was there a moment when the tension rose a notch?
When you cross Bab el-Mandeb, you are under potential missile threat. You don’t know if they intend to shoot you or let you pass. You therefore take all measures to be ready to face the most dangerous scenario.
The frigates approach the aircraft carrier, they adopt their highest level of alert and the Rafales continuously ensure the detection, identification and, if necessary, neutralization of any threat targeting the carrier group. We maintain this system throughout the transit.
When a crisis evolves by the hour, how far can the commander of a carrier strike group decide alone?
Regarding the security of the carrier group, I have complete freedom to take the necessary measures to protect the 3,000 sailors who make it up as well as the resources entrusted to me. At no time do I need to turn towards Paris.
“European countries are counting on the military power of France”
This is what we expect from a commander. On the other hand, when the positioning of the carrier battle group can have a strategic or political impact, I receive a framework from the General Staff which nevertheless leaves me reasonable latitude.
Paris very quickly deployed significant resources in the region. At a time when the United States was mobilized elsewhere and the British could not intervene from the sea, did you have the feeling that the allies were counting more on France?
When we were redeployed, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands decided to join this mission. This shows that they shared our political intention and its military modalities. In a context where the Americans are clearly asking the Europeans to take charge of the security of their strategic space, I think I can answer yes. European countries are counting on the military power of France, Europe’s leading navy, to contribute, with them, to the defense of the Old Continent.
The war in Ukraine showed that a drone costing a few tens of thousands of euros could threaten buildings worth several hundred million or even billions of euros. Is the aircraft carrier still the king of the oceans?
We must first correct this idea according to which a frigate costing several hundred million euros would be threatened by a few drones. This is not entirely correct. A drone can cost very little while a frigate represents a considerable investment. The challenge is therefore not only military, it is also economic.
Our buildings have been designed to face very high-level threats. Today, we are simply adapting our weaponry and tactics to a different threat: less sophisticated, but much more numerous and less expensive, drones. This is precisely what we are doing.
This deployment is one of the longest in Navy history national. How do we maintain crew morale for more than five months, far from families and in a context of permanent tension?
Sailors are deeply attached to their mission. They returned tired, but with a smile and with the feeling of having accomplished something useful for their country. This is enough to keep morale up. On the other hand, every ten to fifteen days, we organize what we call a no-fly day. For a few hours, flight operations are interrupted so that the sailors can go out onto the flight deck – which is normally impossible for them –, get some fresh air, play sports, chat with each other and take a breather.
Colleagues managed to reconstruct the position of the aircraft carrier using data from the Strava application. Is this a flaw that worries you?
First, I want to say it: the position broadcast was not not in real time. It was several hours old. Then, knowing the position of an aircraft carrier is not necessarily a determining element from a tactical or strategic point of view. Contrary to what we have sometimes heard, this is not necessarily a subject. The Strava affair received a lot of attention in the media, but, technically, it had no impact on the initial mission.
So no action was taken?
Yes, of course. Sailors are not allowed to carry their telephones on deck when operations require high discretion at a specific time. They also don’t have the right to use connected applications when we don’t want them to.
A few weeks after the update of the military programming law, some continue to believe that an aircraft carrier costs too much. After this mission, what do you answer them?
It’s a legitimate question. An aircraft carrier represents a considerable investment. But, since the Second World War, nothing better has been found for quickly projecting a military power from the sea. We traveled 6,000 kilometers in six days with combat planes, their means of protection and all their logistical support. To date, no other military tool maritime does not offer such projection capacity.
