French Navy press release – Translated by Naval News
After fifty days of engagement in Operation Chammal, the French component of the allied coalition operation Inherent Resolve (ORI), the Carier Strike Group (CSG) formed around the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle deployed on the ‘Clemenceau 21‘ mission, carried out its last missions as part of the military operation on May 28, 2021.
The CSG’s participation in operation Chammal, which began on March 23, in the Persian Gulf, was temporarily suspended from 24 April to 8 May in order to reposition the naval force in the Eastern Mediterranean. In the meantime, an operational flight was conducted on 6 May 2021 from the Red Sea to the Iraqi-Syrian theater – a first for the French Navy, which opens up a new route for the projection of its Airborne Group, thus affirming the CSG’s ability to act at all points from the high seas.
During the last operational phase in the Eastern Mediterranean, 36 Rafale-Marine sorties and 12 E2C Hawkeye sorties were carried out, bringing the number of Rafale-Marine sorties to 104 and E2C Hawkeye sorties to 38 during the 50 days of CSG’s engagement in the ORI, during the CLEMENCEAU 21 mission.
CSG assets deployed in theater will have enabled the Coalition to combat the reconstitution of Daech capabilities and to intervene in particular against the Islamist organization’s assets, during joint strikes conducted on 20 May 2021.
Rear Admiral Aussedat, commander of Task Force 473, draws a positive assessment of these fifty days of engagement.
“The requirements of the OIR Coalition, to which France is contributing, have largely shaped the configuration of the CLEMENCEAU 21 mission, leading the CSG to the Arabian Gulf, for the first time since 2015, and then to the Eastern Mediterranean. Throughout our participation in the operation, our capabilities were put to use in the fight against Islamist terrorism in the Middle East, to prevent Daech from reorganizing and restructuring in the region. This has meant a sustained pace for the crews, without ever failing. Everyone can be proud of the role they played in conducting this mission, contributing directly to the fight against terrorism.”
Rear Admiral Marc Aussedat, Commander of Task Force 473.
Task Force 473 has also contributed to guaranteeing freedom of navigation and securing and defending strategic areas such as the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Gulf. Accompanied on occasion by foreign frigates, the CSG has demonstrated the interoperability and level of trust between the French Navy and its allies.
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Naval News comments
Naval News got more details about the French deployment in the Persian Gulf and in Eastern Mediterranean. Charles de Gaulle’s Commander Guillaume Pinget and Rear Admiral Aussedat – Commander of the TF473 – shed light on the missions carried out during the deployment of the French carrier strike group and the challenges encountered.
During its deployment, the CSG participated in numerous missions and exercises. It mainly fought against Daesh and assumed command of the U.S. 5th fleet’s Task Force 50. It also participated in the French-Indian Varuna and Gallic Strike exercises.
“Rafales M took off from the aircraft carrier either from the Persian Gulf, the Eastern Mediterranean or, for the first time, from the Red Sea. In the first stage, the aim was to observe and secure the airspace, and then to gather intelligence on what was happening on the ground in order to transmit the information gathered to the coalition.”
“Mission Clemenceau 21, it’s about 140 aircraft sorties in the OIR theater, with a ratio of about 100 rafale sorties and about 40 sorties for the E-2D Hawkeyes.”
Rear Admiral Marc Aussedat, Commander of the Task Force 473.
The Admiral also specified that the forces on the ground were not only supported by the CSG but also by Rafales of the French Air Force which are positioned in the region.
Finally, he dwelt on the various cooperations with the partners during their passage in the Mediterranean and particularly that with the Royal Navy’s CSG.
“We have been able to work with more than 23 countries and have had about 50 cooperative actions, the last one with the HMS Queen Elizabeth. I think this is a good illustration of the French naval air group, which is constantly being called into question and which is at the cutting edge of what is being done today, in terms of tactical know-how but also in terms of systems.”
“If I have to put the exercises on a tactical difficulty scale, we were on a very high level. The fact that we have this ability, even though we have never met, to work together is a very good sign of the level of cooperation we have.”
Rear Admiral Marc Aussedat, Commander of the Task Force 473.
“The two carriers are complementary in terms of their ability to operate together and to cover threats at the top of the spectrum. We started to lay the first bricks during these few days and I would say everyone on board was very proud to work with the HMS Queen Elizabeth. This is a partnership that is being built for the next 20 years to face together the challenges of tomorrow’s world.”
French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle’s Commander, Guillaume Pinget.
The commander of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle also talked about the challenges they faced because of COVID-19.
“To be deployed for 4 months in a context of a global pandemic was a big challenge. We have learned from what happened last year and we have put in place a lot of material, organizational and sanitary evolution measures onboard. We have also modified the ship organization, our processes, our premises, our operating mode.”
To achieve this, we have paid particular attention to the flow between the the ship and the outside world, measures that are very important which make it possible to manage this sanitary situation and which today allow us to return in excellent condition.”
French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle’s Commander, Guillaume Pinget.
