Marine Nationale
The maritime dimension plays a pivotal role within France’s defence strategy. Considering its permanent presence all over the world, the French Navy contributes to the need for defence and security in the maritime and air spaces in a globalized environment facing transnational threats.
These orientations derive from political and strategic analyses set down in the 1994 Defence White paper, updated with the new 2003/2008 Military bill of law and the lessons learned from recent operations, notably in Kosovo and in Afghanistan (Operation Heracles in 2001-2006) and Lebanon (Operation Baliste during the summer of 2006). The needs to build a European defence component and to fight international terrorism and trafficking also constitute a strong impetus for this evolution. Peace in some parts of Europe remains fragile and, a small distance away from the continent, conflicts sporadically punctuate the course of the world. Our national interests and those of our allies are permanently and directly threatened by terrorism, as the series of attacks against Westerners, including 09/11/2001, tragically illustrate.
This alteration of the strategic environment demands to defend the nation’s vital interests and to act as early as possible – which sometimes means as far away as possible – in mostly joint and primarily European frameworks. In this regard, the contributions of the French Navy revolve around operational functions deriving from the four strategic functions – deterrence, protection, prevention and projection – the last two being gathered under the term “operational action” :
- Deterrence is the cornerstone of French defence strategy, guaranteeing the protection of our vital interests;
- Operational action gathers prevention missions to stop the development of conflict or crises situations, as well as power or force projection missions;
- Maritime safeguard guarantees the defence of the territory from the sea and contributes to the protection of French interests at sea and from the sea.
President of the Republic's speech at l'Île Longue, on January 19th 2006 : «In the face of the concerns of the present and the uncertainties of the future, nuclear deterrence remains the fundamental guarantee of our security. It also gives us the ability to keep our freedom to act (...). Deterrence has always continued to adapt (...) to our environment and to the threat analysis (...). We are in a position to inflict damage of any kind on a major power that would want to attack interests we would regard as vital. Against a regional power (...) the flexibility and reactivity of our strategic forces would enable us to exercise our response directly against its centres of power».
The deterrence strategy remains at the heart of the national defence policy. To face the new threats, the nuclear doctrine was adapted in the maintained context of a non-use policy. Capabilities have evolved accordingly and lie on:
- Ballistic missiles arming the submarines of the Strategic Oceanic Rafale Marine Force (FOST)
- Air-breathing missiles for the air-launched component of the Air Force and Naval Air Arm aircraft. With the FOST, the French Navy implements the main component of nuclear deterrence. Four SSBNs assume this mission. To guarantee the security of the FOST, an important share of the naval assets is dedicated to direct or indirect support to SSBNs: nuclear attack submarines (SNA), anti-submarine warfare frigates and destroyers (FASM), maritime patrol aircraft (PATMAR), mine warfare assets and general maritime security and safeguard organisation. In addition to the submarine component, airborne nuclear weapons contribute towards the deterrence mission with all the flexibility of use provided by the aircraft-carrier.
- The Super-Etendard (SUE) carrying the medium-range air-to-ground missile (ASMP) will eventually be replaced by the Rafale with the ASMPA (improved medium-range air-to-ground missile). FANU (nuclear naval-air force) thus provide flexible deterrent capabilities and represent a credible threat in the vicinity of a crisis area.
Prevention consists in exerting a watchful presence to collect intelligence on potential crises, to assess the situation and to deal with nascent crises as early as possible.
The Navy is thus in a permanent surveillance posture in areas deemed strategic for national interests:
- In the North Atlantic, which is the point of convergence of the French supply routes;
- Off the Western African coasts;
- In the Mediterranean, linking Europe, Africa and the Middle-East;
- In the Indian Ocean, which is a hub for maritime and strategic communications;
- And in general, in the vicinity of French interests, particularly in the overseas departments and territories, as well as in its exclusive economic zones (EEZs).
The permanent prevention organisation is composed of sovereignty ships (surveillance frigates, light transport ships and patrol craft) and maritime surveillance aircraft (Gardian, Nord 262 and Falcon 50) assuming duties related to maritime safeguard and to co-operation agreements with friendly and allied nations and carrying out humanitarian missions or support to the other armed services. It also includes combatant ships (destroyers, frigates and SSNs) and maritime patrol aircraft (Atlantique 2) deployed from mainland France in potential crisis areas. They demonstrate France’s intention to contribute to the control of crises, potentially building up to the eventual deployment of projection forces such as a carrier battle group or an amphibious group, if need be.
When preventive actions have not been able to prevent a crisis, direct intervention may become necessary. The Navy’s projection capability is usually operated in a joint and international context. Freedom of movement in international waters and flexibility make of maritime forces a prime asset in crises management operations:
- The carrier battle group (the aircraft-carrier, her air group and accompanying ships) deploys its aircraft over sea and land to carry out reconnaissance missions, force demonstration, support or assault missions, using precision stand-off weapons;
- The amphibious group (helicopter-carrying amphibious ships, support and protection ships) are essential to deploy forces on land (troops and vehicles), to evacuate non-combatants or to aid populations in disaster affected areas;
- The mine countermeasures group (mine-hunters and command and support ship) is deployed alongside a naval force if an area of operation is mined;
With the participation of Mistral, Operation Baliste has demonstrated the operational value of the new projection and command ships (BPC). Mistral and Tonnerre respectively commissioned in 2006 and 2007 provide sizeable lift capabilities for troops, vehicles and helicopters. They can accommodate an operative level joint staff of 200 to conduct multinational naval, air and land operations from the sea.
Maritime safeguard is the overarching framework for operations carried out by the Navy to face any potential threats coming from the sea (terrorism, narcotraffic, activities piracy, illegal transport of migrants...), to defend sovereign rights at sea and control the risks relative to maritime activities (accidents, pollution...). Maritime safeguard includes sea-based defence of the territory as well as sea-based and from-the-sea defence and protection of French interests. It thus comes under both homeland defence and State’s action at sea.
