In the context of the recent arrival in the city of Buenos Aires of the helicopter carrier Tonnerre and the frigate Guépratte of the French National Navy, the team of Zona Militar was able to tour the flagship of the “Jeanne d’Arc 2024” Mission. During a press conference to the specialized media present, Captain Adrian Schaar, Commander of the Tonnerre and of the mission, provided an overview of the activities that the units of the French National Navy will carry out during their stay in Argentina, participating with the Navy and Air Force during the course of the next few days.
At the start of the press conference, Commander Schaar expressed that the “Jeanne d’Arc 2024” Mission is based on three pillars: “… the first one is the training of future navy officers, we have 150 cadets on board this ship, as well as our escort, the frigate Guépratte, to complete their officer training.” In addition to this, he also highlighted that this training follows the deployment of both ships in conflict zones such as Gaza, following the attack perpetrated by HAMAS. Having embarked the cadets, both the Tonnerre and the Guépratte also participated in operations in Haiti, providing “the best training one can have” by taking part in military operations.
The second pillar of the ships’ mission is what he referred to as “operations,” since the duo formed by the helicopter carrier and the frigate constitute an Amphibious Group that has the capacity to intervene anywhere in the world at the request of the French government, being able to be carried out in the Indo-Pacific as well as in the Atlantic.
Finally, the third pillar mentioned by Commander Schaar is cooperation with countries that share common interests and with which combined exercises are desired. For example, the upcoming activities that will take place starting on April 29th with the Argentine Navy.
Exercises with the Argentine Navy
When asked about this last point, it was specified that, once the stopover and visit to Buenos Aires is finished, the helicopter carrier Tonnerre and the frigate Guépratte will carry out combined exercises with personnel and means of the Argentine Armed Forces during the maritime journey that connects the capital with the city of Mar del Plata. Although no further details were provided, it is expected that activities such as replenishment at sea will be carried out, as well as flight deck operations involving French naval helicopters and Argentine ships, and vice versa.
In addition, Commander Schaar himself expressed that exercises in air defense will be carried out by the ships of the “Jeanne d’Arc 2024” Mission, where aircraft from the Argentine Armed Forces will simulate attacks against the vessels. Another aspect mentioned was the conduct of training consisting of Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure tasks between Argentine and French personnel on ships that simulate committing offenses on the high seas. Also in terms of military relations, visits to the French ships by members of the Argentine Navy, as well as the Argentine Army, are expected.
*Developing news
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