• Until mid-March, 7,000 soldiers will carry out a large-scale military exercise to which soldiers of all arms will take. At sea, on land and in the air, 2,300 vehicles will also take part in these battles.
  • Operation Orion aims to "train the French armies in a joint and multinational framework, according to a realistic and demanding scenario".
  • The scenario chosen is that of aid to the fictitious Arnland state, destabilized by a powerful neighbour, which arms militias inside this state and deploys a significant military force on its borders.

It is an unprecedented operation for decades in its scale. For several days, until mid-March, thousands of soldiers will carry out a large-scale military exercise in which soldiers from all armies will take part. "It's the return of major exercises on the territory," said Major General Nicolas Le Len, commander of the command for joint operations.

What is the purpose of this operation?

"Faced with the accelerated deterioration of the international context in 2022", "the armed forces are adapting their operational preparation accordingly," explains the Ministry of the Armed Forces. Orion, a large-scale operation for resilient, interoperable, high-intensity combat-oriented and innovative armies, began on February 21, but entered its active phase this weekend. Its objective is "to train the French armies in a joint and multinational framework, according to a realistic and demanding scenario".

The scenario chosen is that of aid to the fictitious Arnland state, destabilized by a powerful neighbour, which arms militias inside this state and deploys a significant military force on its borders. Any resemblance to international news is not accidental... And yet, the operation, adjusted according to international news, was scheduled for 2020.

What resources are involved?

No less than 7,000 soldiers, French and foreign, are participating in this air-maritime campaign. This force includes all the components and capabilities of the French armed forces in all environments (land, sea, air, space, cyber) and all fields (informational and electromagnetic). Some 2,300 vehicles, including 400 combat vehicles, 40 helicopters and a hundred military drones, are part of the operation. Nearly 130 aircraft, including Rafale, and ground/air defense systems are also mobilized. At sea, there are 30 ships, including the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaule and two amphibious helicopter carriers.

Where does the operation take place?

It will be deployed in about twenty departments. This second phase of Operation Orion (which has 4, with counter-attack phases interspersed with diplomatic talks, to make the scenario as credible as possible), takes place in the Mediterranean. The region of Sète will be the epicenter of this campaign, where the bulk of the military forces will be concentrated. An amphibious landing is planned in Sète, in the Hérault, this Sunday.



Saturday, near Castres, in the Tarn, six A400M military transport planes chained rotations at a cadenced pace to dump on a plateau 600 men and 12 tons of equipment. "The amount of resources made available, the degree of synergy between the different armies, it's unheard of since I got involved," explains Captain Thibault.

In the spring, a second sequence of the Orion exercise provides for the simulation of a high-intensity air-land confrontation against the "Mercury" state, with the deployment of 12,000 soldiers in the northeast of the France. Aquitaine and the Massif Central will also be affected by these future operational phases.

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