Facing the Russian threat, how the French army is preparing the war of tomorrow – L’Express

An enemy called Mercury, with all the characteristics of the Russian army, took a position in the northeast quarter of France. Resolved to strengthen the brigades that fight against French soldiers and their NATO allies, he is about to send new armored troops. In a large building with the defraded walls, dozens of French soldiers in trellis, eyes riveted on their screens, seek to prevent them from reaching the front. For this, they must neutralize the opposing anti-aircraft defense, in particular its soil-air Buk missile batteries of Soviet design, before using all the means available to destroy these reinforcements.

This mission is one of the scenarios played on simulator, entitled Diodorus 25, by a new entity of the Army, the command of actions in depth and intelligence (CAPR). The “PC” of the exercise is installed in the Sippes camp (Marne), which L’Express visited on March 17. Spectacular, he saw 60,000 soldiers compete in each camp. The first is directed by the “Rapid-France reaction corps” (CRR-FR), the entity capable of commanding a terrestrial force of up to 120,000 soldiers (and which gives its missions to the CAPR).

The opposing camp is led by a “red”, enemy, played by a French general and his team. “The exercise takes place mainly on simulator the first two weeks, explains General Vincent Tassel, at the head of the intelligence brigade. For the following two, the scenarios are played in real with 1,500 soldiers performing key maneuvers. All this will allow us to learn.” The objective is to prepare for the wars of tomorrow and to acquire the right reflexes, for the day when the French land forces participate in a large -scale campaign.

Hit hard and far

Since the Russian invasion of February 2022 in Ukraine, the Army has reformed by emphasizing the defense of the continent. Previously, it was structured to lead, as a priority, military operations against less well armed adversaries, as was the case until recently in the Sahel against jihadist groups. It is now reorganized to deal with an opponent with parity of means, like Russia, for what the military calls a conflict of “high intensity”. Either devastating, deadly and long clashes, like those of the two world wars of the 20th century.

“The hypothesis of a major commitment to a strong enemy becomes possible for us, so we have to go upmarket, underlines General Pierre Schill, chief of staff of the army and prime contractor of the major reform in progress. One of the characteristics of these fights of large masses of men and materials, now, is that the geography of the battlefield no longer stops and terrestrial, to act at the rear, in the depth of the territory controlled by the opponent. “

This is a novelty. Until recently, this mission was assumed, as a priority, by the Air Force and its Rafale. The “earthlings” did not see themselves struck beyond the 50 kilometers (or then via commandos actions as rare as it is perilous). This is now the mission of the CAPR, officially created in September and installed in Strasbourg. He commanded three specialized brigades: one in “aerocombat” (helicopters), the other in artillery (more precisely the short-range soil-to-air defense and rockets), and the last in intelligence and electronic war. Together, they must coordinate an intervention up to 500 kilometers beyond the front line, where command posts, artillery, logistics and enemy’s reserves park.

A long list of weapons to acquire

“The CAPR has developed ideas that we test with Diodorus, to act in an area in principle inaccessible and in which we must act,” said his commander, General Guillaume Danès. Among these, there is first of all the sharing of roles within the all-new “Task Force Deep” (“Depth Processing Force”, in French), in which the capacities of the CAPR brigades and combat aircraft are merged. “It is a question of seeing what the Air Force can achieve, for example to destroy anti-aircraft defenses or defend the sky, in this exercise, in favor of earthly action,” said the detached aviator officer.

There is also the question of the terrestrial means to be acquired. In the Diodorus test, the CAPR has American capacities (on paper, a US Army division participates). This makes it possible to have armaments that are missing in France, such as jaming aircraft, Sead Antiradar missiles (essential against certain soil-to-air defenses, France develops it, but will not have it before the next decade) and Himar rocket launchers, capable of hitting up to 300 kilometers.

The rockets of the French model, the LRU (unit rocket launcher), have only 80 kilometers of range. And there are less than a dozen, at the end of his life. “They will not hold until 2030, so we have a double challenge, we need more means and more reach,” confirms an officer of the artillery brigade. The Ministry of the Armed Forces did not decide the question, but plans to acquire 26 batteries. He can order American Himars, K239 South Korean Chunmoo (acquired by Poland), Israeli Puls (sold in Denmark), or develop a sovereign system, but at a much higher cost.

Another project, bringing together France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom and Sweden, baptized Elsa (European Long-Ranging Strike Approach) aims to develop capacities at 1,000 kilometers. French industrialists are already on the ranks. MBDA plans to set up its MDCN naval cruise missile on chassis. Or exactly what the Ukrainians have just achieved with their “Neptune”. For her part, Arianegroup is working on a terrestrial ballistic missile. What make combined attacks, with long -range suicide drones – to develop – like those used by kyiv to strike up to 2000 kilometers inside Russia. “There are many technical solutions to dig, with an interesting cost efficiency ratio”, points out the artilleryman. So many new armaments that will require future life -size exercises.