![The Charles-de-Gaulle nuclear aircraft carrier deployed under the aegis of NATO for the “Akila” mission (Photo taken on August 12, 2004 off the coast of Toulon of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier participating in the rehearsal of a naval review) The Charles-de-Gaulle nuclear aircraft carrier deployed under the aegis of NATO for the “Akila” mission (Photo taken on August 12, 2004 off the coast of Toulon of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier participating in the rehearsal of a naval review)](https://huffpost-focus.sirius.press/2024/04/19/0/0/3504/1971/320/180/60/0/ed99a40_1713521674548-000-par2004081275646.jpg)
FELIX GOLESI / AFP
The Charles-de-Gaulle nuclear aircraft carrier deployed under the aegis of NATO for the “Akila” mission (Photo taken on August 12, 2004 off the coast of Toulon of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier participating in the rehearsal of a naval review)
NATO – The eagle flies from the nest. NATO’s mission Akila, which means “eagle” in Romanian, begins this Monday, April 22 for approximately six weeks in the Mediterranean. The carrier group, notably composed of the nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle which is recovering from eight months of work, will set sail from Toulon with at least 3,000 sailors on board.
But, in an unprecedented development, he will be engaged for two weeks under NATO command. A symbol of Paris’s reinforced commitment to the Atlantic Alliance vis-à-vis Russia. The announcement of this very particular operation had created controversy among certain political groups defiant of NATO. “ Sadness, vassalization displayed”, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of rebellious France, commented on X.
“France never loses command of its forces placed under the NATO flag. We are sovereign. Our aircraft carrier will be the spearhead of this mission carried out with our allies”the Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu responded annoyed.
NATO XV in the Mediterranean
This is not the first time that the aircraft carrier has participated in NATO exercises and operations, but until now it was always under national control. This time, the flagship of the French navy will operate from April 26 to May 10 under the supervision of StrikforNato, one of NATO’s tactical headquarters. Based in Portugal near Lisbon and specialized in operations in the Mediterranean, it is under the command of an American admiral, also commander of the Sixth Fleet of the United States, explain our colleagues from World.
“This is the first time that the nuclear aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle and its entire escort, including a nuclear attack submarine, have been placed under the operational control of NATO for 15 days “underlines French Vice-Admiral Didier Maleterre, number two in NATO’s maritime command, to AFP.
The Charles-de-Gaulle will not be alone for this mission since it joins other ships, American, Greek, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. In all, fifteen nations will be represented. Before him, the United States had already placed one of its aircraft carriers under NATO operational control in 2022, for the first time since the Cold War, while the British did so in 2023.
Upgrade with Allies
Concretely, even if the aircraft carrier is under NATO command, this does not mean that French sailors will be replaced by foreign sailors and that the vessel will be entrusted to the Alliance. This simply means that the latter will decide on the tactical actions to be taken.
“This detachment is a means of providing strategic signaling to NATO, but it is also a real search for interoperability with the allies”decrypts for The world Héloïse Fayet, researcher at the French Institute of International Relations.
The mission will allow France “ to fall into line by putting ourselves on the same level as our allies. We will also learn a lot”estimated the commander of the French naval air group, Rear Admiral Jacques Mallard.
But for those who are worried about this close collaboration between the flagship of the French navy and NATO, French Vice-Admiral Didier Maleterre assures that “ at any time we can recover the mandate, and in a snap of the fingers recover the national command during operations if necessary”.
Regain credibility and send a message to Russia
This Akila mission is an operational vigilance activity which aims to “strengthen NATO’s defensive and dissuasive posture, contribute to collective security and support operations aimed at promoting regional stability”explains the Ministry of Defense on his website.
On the diplomatic level, this mission “ is a message to the Russians. Faced with the growing threat, being collectively effective takes precedence”, comments to AFP Pascal Ausseur, general director of the Mediterranean Foundation for Strategic Studies. At the same time, France has recently multiplied strong declarations towards Moscow, Emmanuel Macron having notably called in mid-March for a “ defeat of Russia.
“There is a fairly significant turning point in the French approach, underlines Robert Pszczel, former NATO official and researcher at the Center for Eastern studies. In Brussels, the allies are watching all this very closely, and the more concrete gestures like this there are, the stronger their perception of credible French change will be. »
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