According to a French MoD statement, the French CSG will cotnribute to securing NATO’s Eastern flank, it will take part to Operation Inherent Resolve, and “may” set course to the Red Sea and Indian Ocean: “Faced with demonstrations of power by the main competitors from France and Europe, the CSG demonstrates France’s ability to intervene by controlling any escalation. The sea and air operations of the carrier strike group are coordinated with the allies”.
During the Antares mission, the sailors of the CSG are preparing in coalition for possible future engagements, whether hybrid or major, at the top of the spectrum of conflictuality. The choice of the star Antares to name this deployment underlines the consideration of warlike cunning and of all the environments and fields of conflict, both in the face of current disputes and in the preparation of tomorrow’s wars.
“The Antares mission participates in strategic posturing by maintaining a visible and assumed presence of France in maritime areas. As a leading military player, France thus demonstrates that it can intervene in its areas of interest with significant capabilities, relying on the freedom of action allowed by the high seas.”
French MoD
The French Navy or MoD didn’t publicly disclose the composition of the CSG which is unusual. The press release only mentions “3000 sailors” and vessels from Greece, Italy and the United States.
Pictures by local ship spotters show that some of the vessels taking part in mission Antares include US Navy destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80), Hellenic Navy Elli-class frigate Adrias (F459), Italian Navy FREMM frigate Virginio Fasan (F591) and French Navy FREMM DA frigate Alsace (D656). Note that the pennant number and name on Alsace was removed prior to this deployment.
A French Navy spokesperson told Naval News that the move is part of an “experimentation aimed at making it more difficult to identify French Navy ships via OSINT and other means”. The lack of detailed information about mission Antares, likewise, is to “create an informational fog of war targeted against our competitors”.
The French CSG also likely include Horizon type Air Defense Destroyer Forbin (D620) since her sistership Chevalier Paul (D621) is now deployed in the Baltic Sea after taking part in US Navy exercise Silent Wolverine with the Ford CSG. A nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) is also very likely part of the CSG as this is the norm. The seal of Mission Antares shows the profile of a Suffren-class SSN, so we may guess that this is the first CSG escort mission for the new generation submarine of the French Navy… Only the first ship-in-class, Suffren, is in active duty.
