The French Navy (Marine Nationale) Carrier Strike Group (CSG) set sail on 27 January to take part in the exercise ORION 26. ORION 26 is a joint and combined high intensity warfare exercise set to take place in the Atlantic.
The French Navy did not officially disclose the exact composition of the CSG for ORION 26, but Toulon-based photographer and regular contributor to Naval News, Hervé Dermoune, witnessed the following vessels departing the naval base this morning:
- Aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91),
- Air Defense FREMM Frigate Alsace (D652),
- Horizon type air defense destroyer Chevalier Paul (D621),
- Horizon type air defense destroyer (Italian Navy) Andrea Doria (D553)
- and the new replenishment vessel (known as BRF) Jacques Chevallier (A725).
The focus for the escort of the CSG during ORION 26 seems to be on air defense, with three dedicated air defender vessels, which is somewhat unusual and noteworthy. As usual, a nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) is likely part of the CSG as well.
According to a French Navy statement, ORION 26 will take place over the next few weeks in the Atlantic zone, “a strategic area of maneuver for the defense of European interests”. This exercise will bring together French forces alongside their allies and regional partners.
The statement further reads “ORION 26 aims to test the French armed forces’ ability to conduct high-intensity operations in a joint and combined environment, encompassing all types of conflict zones and environments. The CSG’s participation in ORION 26 will test its operational capabilities within a complex deployment. This deployment contributes to the preparation of French armed forces and to the support of a large-scale operational maneuver conducted on the national territory and in its immediate vicinity”.
The French Navy also highlighted the important of the CSG, calling it a unique strategic asset in Europe: “Capable of long-range and sustained deployments, the carrier strike group is able to carry out a variety of missions, including control of maritime and air spaces and conducting deep strikes, even at very long ranges. Mobile, versatile, resilient, and constantly adapting to threats, the carrier strike group guarantees France, in cooperation with its allies, an essential autonomous capability for assessment and action.”
Vice-Admiral Xavier Royer de Véricour, in charge of ORION 26, said last week that this high level exercise is necessary in a geopolitical context marked by increasing tensions:
“Europe and NATO’s strategic competitors are increasingly employing hybrid actions aimed at undermining their cohesion and weakening their societal model. These actions now constitute a major threat to our interests.
Vice-Admiral Xavier Royer de Véricour
[In response to this situation, France is adapting] both in terms of mastering cyber, information, and electromagnetic fields and in maintaining robust military capabilities, capable of operating over the long term.”
Overall, ORION 26 will involve,
- For the army:
- 3 combined armed brigades
- 2150 tactical vehicles
- 40 helicopters
- 1200 drones
- For the navy:
- 1 CSG
- 2 LHDs
- 50 aircraft
- 25 major combatants
- For the air force:
- 50 aircraft
- 2 MALE drones
- 6 air defense systems
- 20 space-based sensors
In addition, 24 countries are participating to ORION 26.
ORION 26 scenario
In Europe, Mercury, an expansionist country, seeks to destabilize its neighbor Arnland in order to maintain its influence in the region and prevent Arnland’s accession to the European Union. During 2025, Mercury intensified its hybrid operations and increased its support for militias operating within Arnland. At the request of this ally, on January 6, 2026, France assumed leadership of the ORION coalition to ensure its defense and preserve the European balance.
ORION 26 embodies this rise in power, from invisible warfare to high-intensity confrontation. In a context where engagement in a high-intensity conflict could become a reality, ORION 26 responds to the need to intensify and toughen the level of preparedness of the French armed forces.
