France Sends Aircraft Carrier to Syrian Waters

November 19, 2015

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Paris, France sent its carrier strike group — GAN, with the nuclear-powered FS Charles de Gaulle as flagship to the Middle East for the second time this year.

This deployment is part of a mission called Arromanches 2 and represents the eighth deployment of the French carrier strike group to Middle Eastern waters.

What brought special attention to this mission and deployment is the recent terrorist attack in Paris. Although Arromanches 2 had been planned even before the Paris-attack took place, French president Francois Hollande announced this mission during a speech in the French Parliament on November 16.

During his speech, the president declared that “France is at war” calling on other ally-nations to join France in its efforts to check ISIS threats.

British Government of Defence already confirmed it has sent a British destroyer to join the French carrier strike group. The Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender already took part in air defence training with six French Mirage 200 fighter jets in the Gulf on November 18.

Royal Navy’s HMS Defender will spend nine months on the mission in the Middle East where she will work with U.S. and French carrier strike groups as part of the Combined Maritime Force’s 30-nation maritime force said the British Royal Navy site.