French forces prep for final phase of major multidomain exercise

STUTTGART, Germany — After several years without an exercise on its territory, the French military is preparing for the final phase of Orion 2023, a new drill focused on multidomain operations to prepare troops for a realistic warfighting scenario.

Orion integrates about 20 events that the services typically conduct separately, and involve multiple allies, including the United States. French Defense Chief of Staff Gen. Thierry Burkhard ordered the development of this exercise several years ago, Col. Pierre Gaudillière, spokesman for the French Chief of Defence Staff, said during an April 13 virtual press conference.

Based on a NATO-derived scenario, the exercise centers around a fictitious narrative to restore security in the state of “Arnland,” and it involves four distinct phases. Phase 1, held over the course of 2021 and 2022, was the planning phase, Gaudillière explained.

Phase 2, which ran from February to March 2023, involved a quick response deployment of 7,000 troops, led by France and reinforced with allies, which included capabilities and assets spanning all domains: land, sea, air, space, cyber, electromagnetic, and informational. This mission reflected a “first entry operation in a contested domain,” in which France’s aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle was used to help set up an amphibious operation, alongside an air campaign involving all air assets, Gaudillière said.

Phase 3, which took place last month, consisted of an interagency tabletop exercise to reflect a “politico-military crisis management” scenario. Finally, Phase 4, which will begin next week and run through mid-May, will include simulated French and international units, up to division level, combined with units in the field, to represent a coalition deployment under UN and NATO mandate.

Orion’s final phase will involve 12,000 troops on the ground, including 1,700 troops from 14 allied nations, Gaudillière said. About 2,600 tactical vehicles, including 400 combat vehicles will be used, along with 60 aircraft – 50 of which are fighter jets – and 30 ships, including France’s aircraft carrier and two amphibious helicopter carriers. About 100 unmanned aerial systems of all sizes will also be involved, including two MQ-9 Reaper UAVs, and 20 space-borne sensors, per the ministry.

The exercise planners also built up a “dedicated universe” involving simulated networks, press rooms, and interactions with journalists, to ensure the exercise’s participants are in contact with the sort of stimuli they would typically get in such a conflict, but without “interference from the real world,” he noted.

While the general exercise scenario was not modified in the wake of Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, planners included “stimuli” inspired by what France has observed on the Ukrainian battlefields and the conflict writ large, per Gaudillière.

Phase 4 will take place entirely on French national territory, in various counties and regions in the northeast and west of the country. Allied nations participating in Orion ‘23 include Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Greece, and Spain, with some nations participating at the command level and others providing capabilities including helicopters and fighter jets, Gaudillière said.

French officials expect Orion to become a triennial exercise, with the next iteration to take place in 2026, following two years of planning, he added.

Vivienne Machi is a reporter based in Stuttgart, Germany, contributing to Defense News' European coverage. She previously reported for National Defense Magazine, Defense Daily, Via Satellite, Foreign Policy and the Dayton Daily News. She was named the Defence Media Awards' best young defense journalist in 2020.

德国斯图加特——法国军队在本土多年未进行演习后，正准备进行“猎户座2023”演习的最后阶段。这是一项新的演习，重点是多域作战，旨在让部队为真实的作战场景做好准备。

“猎户座”演习整合了约20项通常由各军种单独进行的演习项目，并涉及包括美国在内的多个盟友。法国国防参谋长发言人皮埃尔·戈迪利埃上校在4月13日举行的线上新闻发布会上表示，法国国防参谋长蒂埃里·布尔克哈尔将军几年前就下令开展这项演习。

此次演习基于北约提出的方案，围绕着一个虚构的故事展开，旨在恢复“阿恩兰”国的安全，演习分为四个不同的阶段。高迪利埃解释说，第一阶段是计划阶段，于2021年至2022年期间举行。

第二阶段从2023年2月持续到3月，由法国领导，盟军增援，快速部署了7000名士兵，涵盖陆地、海洋、空中、太空、网络、电磁和信息等所有领域的能力和资源。高迪利埃表示，此次任务体现了“在对抗区域的首次进入行动”，法国“戴高乐”号航空母舰参与了两栖作战的部署，同时所有空中力量也投入使用，开展了空中作战。

第三阶段已于上月完成，主要包括一次跨部门桌面演练，旨在模拟“政治军事危机管理”场景。第四阶段将于下周开始，持续至五月中旬，届时将模拟法国和国际部队（最高可达师级）与实地部队相结合，以展现联合国和北约授权下的联军部署。

高迪利埃表示，“猎户座”行动的最后阶段将动用12000名地面部队，其中包括来自14个盟国的1700名士兵。行动还将使用约2600辆战术车辆（包括400辆作战车辆）、60架飞机（其中50架为战斗机）和30艘舰艇（包括法国的航空母舰和两艘两栖直升机航母）。此外，据国防部消息，行动还将动用约100套各种尺寸的无人机系统，包括两架MQ-9“死神”无人机和20个天载传感器。

演习策划者还建立了一个“专门的世界”，其中包括模拟网络、新闻发布室以及与记者的互动，以确保演习参与者能够接触到他们在这种冲突中通常会遇到的刺激，但又不会受到“现实世界的干扰”，他指出。

据高迪利埃称，虽然在俄罗斯 2022 年 2 月入侵乌克兰之后，总体演习方案没有改变，但计划者加入了受法国在乌克兰战场和整个冲突中观察到的情况启发的“刺激因素”。

第四阶段演习将完全在法国境内进行，涵盖该国东北部和西部的多个郡县和地区。高迪利埃表示，参与“猎户座2023”演习的盟国包括比利时、英国、美国、德国、希腊和西班牙，其中一些国家以指挥层身份参与，其他国家则提供包括直升机和战斗机在内的作战能力。

他补充说，法国官员预计“猎户座”演习将成为每三年一次的演习，下一次演习将在经过两年的规划后于 2026 年举行。

薇薇安·马奇是驻德国斯图加特的一名记者，主要负责《防务新闻》的欧洲报道。她此前曾为《国家防务杂志》、《防务日报》、《卫星通讯》、《外交政策》和《代顿每日新闻》撰稿。2020年，她荣获防务媒体奖最佳青年防务记者称号。