A first deployment under NATO command. The French aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle set sail, this Monday, April 22, from Toulon, after eight months of work and several sea trials, for six weeks of operations in the Mediterranean, two of which where it will be placed under operational control of the Transatlantic Alliance.
The flagship of the French military fleet, with its Rafale Marine fighter planes, left the port in southeastern France around 10 a.m., AFP journalists noted. It is escorted in its navigations by a nuclear attack submarine, specialized frigates and a resupply ship, all constituting the French “carrier group”, the largest in Europe.
From April 26 to May 10, he will participate in a NATO mission, baptized Akila, bringing together ships from several nations (United States, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy) under the command of the maritime staff, comprising fifteen nations including France, and led by an American vice-admiral. The aircraft carrier “will participate in the Alliance’s activities in the Mediterranean and throughout Europe to strengthen its defensive and dissuasive posture, contribute to collective security and support operations aimed at promoting regional stability”, explains the Ministry of the Armed Forces. .
“Spearhead” of the NATO mission
On April 25, on the eve of its passage under the operational control of NATO, the aircraft carrier will also welcome on board for the first time the conference of 32 ambassadors from the member countries of the alliance, a sign of reinvestment of France in NATO. French Vice-Admiral Didier Maleterre, number two in NATO’s maritime command, stressed when announcing this mission that France could in “a snap of the fingers recover the national command during operations if necessary” .
But voices had criticized the announcement of the placement of the aircraft carrier under the control of the alliance. The leader of La France insoumise Jean-Luc Mélenchon thus denounced on X (ex-Twitter) on April 12 a “displayed vassalization” of France. “We must not give in to lies”, retorted on the same network the Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu, ensuring that “France never loses command of its forces placed under the NATO flag”. “Our aircraft carrier will be the spearhead of this mission carried out with our allies. We are the only Europeans capable of deploying a carrier battle group of this scale,” he added. Formerly seen as a difficult ally, still the object of mistrust in Brussels, France has reinvested in NATO since the return of the Russian threat, in parallel with its military disengagement in Africa.
With this mission, the Charles-de-Gaulle, which carries 1,900 crew members and 40 aircraft, resumes operations after its period of unavailability for intermediate maintenance (IEI) started in May 2023, with eight months of work to ” maintain and modernize its capabilities”, according to the ministry, and sea trials.