The head of the French Navy, Admiral Pierre Vandier addressed the French Parliament. He talked about the war in Ukraine, Chinese ambitions, the use of UAVs, the confrontation with Turkey and the future of the French Navy. Pierre Vandier returned to the theory of deterrence. Indeed, the French Navy has one permanent nuclear attack submarine at sea, which is replaced every sixty days by another.
The French admiral spoke about the Russian presence in the Mediterranean, the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. The Russian naval force, apart from the cruiser Moskva, has not been affected. Submarine power was hardly used at all from the beginning of the conflict. Indeed, the conflict in Ukraine is primarily on the ground.
“In Ukraine, the naval part of the conflict was little mentioned, although it covered more or less all areas of employment of a modern navy. On the fifth day of the war, Putin threatened dire consequences for anyone who interfered with his special operation and, to emphasize his points, sent six ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), two to the Pacific and four from Murmansk, which makes us realize the value of an independent nuclear power.”
“Russia then imposed a blockade on the Black Sea, sinking two Ukrainian ships and eleven merchant ships. It used naval platforms to launch cruise missiles. Another example of anti-ship warfare was the missile attacks that caused the loss of Moskva, the flagship of the Russian navy.
»It sank in a few hours, a testament to the lethality and violence of modern naval warfare. Let’s not forget that the Royal Navy lost 14 ships in 72 days of combat during the Falklands War in 1982. We prepared for this type of conflict during Exercise Polaris 21 (in which Greece also participated) and we continue to prepare for it. ».
“The Chinese are currently building a fleet of five icebreakers to be able to move their forces from the Pacific to the Atlantic, with the support of the Russians. Soon it will no longer be necessary to go to the China Sea to find Chinese military forces,” he said.
He recalled that by 2030, the capacity of the Chinese navy will be 2.5 times that of the US navy, as the Chinese fleet grows geometrically. In the Mediterranean, too, some navies show triple-digit tonnage growth from 2008 to 2030.
“Against the Chinese navy, we will win if we fight together, in coalition,” he stressed. However, he warned that due to various financial regulations, the French navy has never been as small as it is today and will continue to shrink over the next two years.
Speaking for the French Navy, he stressed that the submarine Suffren has returned to service while a reason for the sixth multi-mission frigate (FREMM), Normandie. He stated that the future next-generation aircraft carrier will succeed Charles de Gaulle in 2037 and that work on SNLE 3G will begin in the fall.
Pierre Vandier also said that an anti-narcotics operation was conducted in the Atlantic Ocean, supported by the Schiebel UAV. The French Navy will have six Schiebel UAVs. As for large underwater drones, the Naval Group has begun studies to develop a prototype.
The admiral did not fail to mention the incident with the Turks on the SW coast of Cyprus. The Turks considered these areas under their sovereignty, the French frigate was surrounded by five Turkish frigates.
SOURCE: Defencepoint.gr
