On 8th February, France commenced its biggest military exercise since the Cold War by deploying 12,500 soldiers in a three-month drill that would train them to engage in intense warfare in Europe.
The exercise Orion 26 will take place till 30 April and will include 25 vessels, among them the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, 140 aircraft, 1,200 drones and forces of 24 countries.
According to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, Orion 26 was a “significant exercise” in the French operational preparation of high-intensity operations to equip forces with “complex situations in multifaceted, varied, and contented conditions.”
The scenario behind the drill is that of two fictional nations, Arnland and Mercury, which are actually a direct reflection of the Russian menace in Europe.
Mercury is an expansionist state, and it is pitted against its neighbour Arnland, which Mercury aims to destabilise to keep its rapprochement with the European Union at bay.
France heads a global coalition in order to protect Arnland against mounting hybrid threats and attacks, as well as to protect it against growing support by Mercury-backed militias.
Imitated landings and counter-attacks
It will start with an amphibious operation coupled with an air assault in Brittany, with the presence of approximately 700 troops and 100 vehicles potentially off Quiberon in the Morbihan department on 20 and 21 February.
From April, the exercise will be under NATO command to test the capacity of the European armies to collaborate.
The drill deploys three brigades, 2,150 tactical war vehicles and 40 helicopters, and cyber/space warfare elements.
French forces and NATO forces will assume deployments in the open field, conduct counter-attacks and overcome natural barriers such as the rivers of Seine and Aube using live fire.
The exercise is intended to test the capacity of France to lead a multinational force and to provide transmission and logistical chains to operate in an intensive conflict.
According to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, “the exercise was especially essential, as the engagement in a high-intensity conflict might become a reality in the given context.”
It also encompasses training of the French reservists of all the armed forces and cyber warfare exercises on virtual networks and space.
Some of the allies that are participating in the drills in France include Japan, Switzerland, Morocco and the US.
The exercise is coming at a time when NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was warning Russia might be able to strike the alliance within five years.
“Our next target is Russia,” said Rutte as hybrid warfare activities by Russia continue to proliferate throughout Europe, even as the full-scale invasion of Ukraine passes its fourth year.
