France launched its high-intensity naval exercise Polaris on Monday, bringing its military might and cooperation with allies to the Atlantic Ocean. The drill scenario includes attacks on French seaports, a multinational naval war and amphibious operations off the British and French coasts.
According to the Defense Ministry, Polaris 25 will continue until June 15, during which time more than 3.000 French and foreign soldiers, more than 20 naval surface warships and more than 40 aircraft will be deployed. In the final stages of the exercise, a task force of five amphibious helicopter carriers and their accompanying warships will conduct naval combat against a simulated enemy.
France’s first Polaris exercise in 2021 focused primarily on the Mediterranean. It was implemented as part of the French Navy’s plan to increase its readiness for high-intensity warfare. This year’s Polaris 25 will deploy fewer personnel due to the absence of the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and its crew of around 1.200, but it has been doubled in duration and involves more international partners.
“Exercise Polaris 25 pits two symmetric forces against each other in a free-play scenario under conditions close to reality,” the Navy said in an emailed statement to Defense News. “Polaris 25 is notable for its first phase dedicated to hybrid offensive and defensive action and the scale of resources deployed along the Atlantic coast,” the statement said.
According to a statement from the Naval Forces Command, the exercise will include new training topics, especially amphibious operations, protection of naval bases and approaches against hybrid threats over time. The exercise scenario will evolve from the initial struggle to an increasingly complex confrontation.
The French Navy has taken several steps in recent months to increase its combat readiness, including a live test of an explosive one-way drone boat, a F21 heavy-duty torpedo launch at a decommissioned warship, and a shock test of the Lafayette-class frigate Courbet, which detonated a naval mine nearby while underway with a full crew. Admiral Nicolas Vaujour, Commander of the French Navy since September 2023, has been focusing on strengthening the force and increasing its direct combat capability.
According to the Navy, the first phase of Polaris 25 will last until May 26 and will be carried out with the participation of only French troops. The Navy stated that this part of the exercise will focus on defending French naval bases against hybrid attacks such as commando actions or drone attacks. The Navy emphasized that the element of surprise is important for the exercise to remain realistic, and refrained from sharing details of the scenario. However, a presentation document prepared for Polaris 25 stated that the first action will target the naval ports of Brest and Cherbourg and that elements such as cyber attacks, drones and sea mines will be used.
The second phase of the exercise will begin in the western Atlantic with an international task force consisting of amphibious ships from France, the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy carrying a French Army battalion, helicopters and British, Spanish, Italian and Brazilian troops. The amphibious group will be accompanied by French, Spanish and Dutch frigates and British patrol boats. The vast majority of the aircraft will be French-made, according to the Navy, and could include Navy-version Rafale jets and Airbus refueling aircraft. According to the presentation document, the international task force, referred to as the “blue force,” will conduct an amphibious operation off the Devon coast of southwest England from June 1-6. That operation will be followed by a five-day naval engagement with a counterforce called the “red force,” made up of French, Italian and Dutch frigates and French Navy aircraft. The Navy also said French nuclear attack submarines could be integrated into one or both forces, and the composition of the opposing task force could vary.
The final phase of the exercise will begin on June 11, and will involve an amphibious operation off the coast of the Atlantic, the promotional document said. A notice to airmen issued by France's civil aviation authority as part of Polaris 25 indicates a traffic-free zone over the Bay of Biscay, stretching from the Gironde estuary to Bayonne, close to the French border with Spain. This points to a possible landing operation along the long, wave-beaten sandy beaches in this area of the exercise.
The Navy emphasized that naval combat and landing operations will take a “multi-environment, multi-domain” approach that integrates space, cyber and information assets. Polaris 25 will strengthen immediate combat capabilities by including bases and ports in the exercise, according to the Navy, and will help provide new thinking in dealing with technological and human disruptions. It also noted that the exercise is part of a joint engagement with European and NATO allies to secure Europe. Polaris 25 provides a critical platform to test and improve France and its allies’ readiness for high-intensity naval warfare.
