French navy prepares for war – admiral — RT World News
The national navy is training to confront someone who “wants to destroy us,” a senior naval officer said.
France has shifted its naval posture from interdicting drug traffickers and poachers to training for conventional warfare, Adm. Jack Mallard told POLITICO.
Mallard commands France's only carrier battle group, centered around the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle. He spoke about the changes in an exclusive interview with the EU edition of Politico magazine, published on Wednesday.
“We are moving from a world in which we were very free to do as we pleased, to a world in which we feel threatened on a more regular basis.” Mallard said. “We are now training for other missions, especially what we call high-intensity warfare.”
“Naval combat is becoming increasingly likely.” He said, and the French sailors are now training for combat “Someone who wants to destroy us. Not someone who wants to do illegal trade, and not someone who wants to steal fish.”
With the Russian Navy getting involved in the Black Sea and the Houthis in Yemen intercepting ships linked to Israel, the US and the UK in the Red Sea, Western fleets need to deal with this problem. “Increasingly unrestrained competitors” Mallard said.
“This is where we become more aggressive, or at least, prepare to be.” The Admiral added.
According to Mallard, the French and Italian naval forces will participate in a joint exercise later this spring, on the basis of… “Polaris” A program that simulates a naval battle. Combat simulation released in 2021 “Prevent tactical thinking” Which Mallard described as “A bit more dangerous but very useful.”
Although the admiral did not mention the name of the expected enemy, he made it clear that it was not the People's Liberation Army Navy.
“As long as the Chinese do not invade La Reunion or decide to expel us from Mayotte.” He said, mentioning two French territories in the Indian Ocean, “There is no reason to single out the Chinese as our main adversary.”
Mallard's comments come weeks after French President Emmanuel Macron floated the idea of possibly having NATO forces on the ground in Ukraine. This possibility has been flatly rejected by most – though not all – members of the US-led bloc.
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