In first, France’s aircraft carrier to deploy under NATO command

PARIS — France’s aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its strike group will deploy under NATO command for the first time, as the French Navy’s flagship resumes operations after interim maintenance that kept it out of action most of last year.

The Charles de Gaulle, with an escort including a French air-defense frigate, a multimission frigate and a nuclear attack submarine, will start a deployment in the Mediterranean on April 22, according to Rear Adm. Jacques Mallard, commander of the French carrier strike group. Vessels from the United States, Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal will complete the escort.

While French aircraft and individual vessels have previously operated under NATO direction, the carrier strike group has until now remained under national command, according to Mallard.

Sailing under alliance command for part of the envisioned tour is meant to “show that we’re an ally who’s doing what everyone else is doing, but also to understand how the chain of command works,” Mallard said in a press briefing on April 11. “It’s a first, but it’s a logical continuation of what’s been going on until now.”

The goal is to “reinforce the defensive and deterrent posture of the alliance” as well as support operations that favor regional stability, with a focus on the central and eastern Mediterranean, according to a presentation by Mallard. The entire deployment might last around six weeks, according to the Armed Forces Ministry.

The admiral said cooperation with allies has been “fundamental” over the past 10 years, as the French carrier strike group integrated around 30 different ships from 12 nations during operations, with NATO procedures and exercises key to creating interoperability.

The Charles de Gaulle will carry some 18 Rafale jets during the upcoming mission, about two-thirds of its maximum contingent, as well as two E-2C Hawkeye airborne early-warning aircraft and two Dauphin helicopters. The French escort frigates will each carry a helicopter in either a surface- or submarine-warfare role.

During the mission, dubbed Akila, all ships and aircraft will report to Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO, a command located in Oeiras, Portugal, near Lisbon for a period of about two weeks, Mallard said.

The admiral declined to identify the ships that will escort the Charles de Gaulle, other than the supply ship Jacques Chevalier. He said the French Navy has started to conceal the identity of its warships, which creates a degree of confusion for adversaries.

“We’re starting to get into the habit of not revealing the names, which is why the hull numbers and names have disappeared from our ships,” Mallard said. “It’s quite effective, and it’s sown doubt on several occasions when our vessels have come across other vessels that didn’t know exactly what to call them. We try to maintain a level of ambiguity.”

The strike group may cooperate with the Standing NATO Maritime Group operating in the Mediterranean, which has been under French command since April 5, as well as participate in the NATO’s air-defense mission over Poland and defensive mission in Romania, according to the rear admiral.

The carrier group will also participate in the Mare Aperto exercise in Italy as part of one of two forces confronting each other in what Mallard called a “symmetric” scenario. The admiral declined to provide details on the deployment timetable. “The more details we give you, the more we reveal part of our intentions.”

Mallard said a deployment of the carrier strike group to the Red Sea is not on the agenda, but is among the options being studied.

He declined to confirm reports that the Charles de Gaulle might head to the Indo-Pacific following its mission in the Mediterranean. He said the strike group’s missions are prepared at “a very high level,” with an eye on being useful to French policy and regional stability.

“The Indo-Pacific is one of the many theaters where the carrier strike group could have an impact,” Mallard said. “So we’re looking at many things, in particular far-away deployments, but for the time being, nothing tangible, nor any announcement to make.”

The Charles de Gaulle has a crew of about 1,200, including around 80 staff, as well as the embarked air group. The carrier in January set off from its home port of Toulon for sea trails, after being taken out of action for maintenance in May last year for work on the carrier’s steam catapults, water-purification plant and medical facilities, among other things.

The nuclear-powered carrier replaced the conventionally-powered Clemenceau in 2001, and France expects to continue operating the vessel until 2038, when the Charles de Gaulle is set to be replaced by a future nuclear-powered carrier known for now by its French acronym PANG.

France plans to start work on the future carrier either late next year or early 2026, with Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu last year estimating the cost of the next-generation vessel at €10 billion. Sea trials are expected in 2036 or 2037, and France included an initial €5 billion for construction of the carrier in its 2024-2030 military budget law.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——法国海军旗舰“戴高乐”号航空母舰及其打击群将首次在北约指挥下部署。此前，该舰因进行临时维护而暂停服役一年多，如今恢复了作战行动。

据法国航母打击群指挥官雅克·马拉尔海军少将称，“戴高乐”号航母将在包括一艘法国防空护卫舰、一艘多用途护卫舰和一艘核动力攻击潜艇在内的护航舰队的护送下，于4月22日开始在地中海部署。来自美国、西班牙、希腊、意大利和葡萄牙的舰艇将组成护航舰队。

据马勒德称，虽然法国飞机和个别舰艇此前曾在北约指挥下行动，但航母打击群至今仍处于国家指挥之下。

马勒德在4月11日的新闻发布会上表示，此次计划巡游的部分航程将在联盟指挥下进行，其目的是“表明我们是一个与其他国家一样积极参与的盟友，同时也是为了了解指挥链是如何运作的”。“这是第一次，但也是迄今为止所做事情的合乎逻辑的延续。”

根据马勒德的介绍，此次行动的目标是“加强联盟的防御和威慑态势”，并支持有利于区域稳定的行动，重点是地中海中部和东部地区。据武装部队部称，整个部署过程可能持续约六周。

这位海军上将表示，过去 10 年来与盟友的合作至关重要，法国航母打击群在作战行动中整合了来自 12 个国家的约 30 艘不同舰艇，而北约的程序和演习是实现互操作性的关键。

在即将到来的任务中，“戴高乐”号航母将搭载约18架“阵风”战斗机，约占其最大出动能力的2/3，此外还将搭载两架E-2C“鹰眼”预警机和两架“海豚”直升机。法国护卫舰也将各自搭载一架直升机，执行水面或水下作战任务。

马拉德表示，在代号为“阿基拉”的任务期间，所有舰船和飞机都将向位于葡萄牙里斯本附近奥埃拉斯的北约海军打击和支援部队司令部报到，任务持续约两周时间。

除了补给舰“雅克·舍瓦利埃”号之外，这位海军上将拒绝透露其他将护航“戴高乐”号航母的舰艇。他表示，法国海军已经开始对其军舰的身份进行保密，这会给对手造成一定程度的混乱。

“我们逐渐养成了不公开船名的习惯，所以我们船上的船体编号和船名都消失了，”马拉德说。“这种做法非常有效，而且在我们的船只遇到其他船只，而对方不知道该如何称呼我们的时候，这种做法已经多次造成了误会。我们试图保持一定的模糊性。”

据这位海军少将称，该打击群可能会与自 4 月 5 日起由法国指挥的在地中海活动的北约常设海上部队合作，并参与北约在波兰的防空任务和在罗马尼亚的防御任务。

该航母战斗群还将参加在意大利举行的“海面行动”（Mare Aperto）演习，作为两支对抗部队之一，参与此次演习。马勒德称此次演习为“对称”演习。这位海军上将拒绝透露部署时间表的细节。“我们提供的细节越多，就越会泄露我们的部分意图。”

马拉德表示，将航母打击群部署到红海目前不在议程上，但这是正在研究的选项之一。

他拒绝证实有关“戴高乐”号航母在完成地中海任务后可能前往印太地区的报道。他表示，该航母打击群的任务准备工作“非常充分”，旨在为法国政策和地区稳定做出贡献。

“印太地区是航母打击群可能发挥作用的众多战区之一，”马拉德说。“所以我们正在考虑很多方面，特别是远距离部署，但目前还没有任何实质性进展，也没有任何公告要发布。”

“戴高乐”号航母拥有约1200名船员，其中包括约80名工作人员以及舰载航空兵。该航母于去年5月停止服役进行维护，包括对蒸汽弹射器、净水设备和医疗设施等进行检修。今年1月，该航母从其母港土伦启航进行海上试航。

这艘核动力航母于 2001 年取代了常规动力航母“克莱蒙梭”号，法国预计将继续运营该舰至 2038 年，届时“戴高乐”号将被一艘未来的核动力航母取代，该航母目前以其法语缩写 PANG 为人所知。

法国计划于明年年底或2026年初开始建造未来的航母。法国武装部队部长塞巴斯蒂安·勒科尔努去年估计，这艘下一代航母的造价为100亿欧元。预计将于2036年或2037年进行海试。法国已在其2024-2030年军事预算中拨出50亿欧元用于航母的建造。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。