Unable to head west for their 4th seminar in Brest and Lorient due to the constraints imposed by the COVID 19 pandemic, the participants in the 6th national session on "Maritime issues and strategies" virtually turned their screens and thoughts towards the Ponant. They looked successively at the challenges of understanding the seas and oceans, the major geostrategic and geopolitical challenges of the Atlantic Ocean, France's deterrence policy and the resources available to the French Navy to deal with them.
On Friday morning, listeners were plunged into the heart of knowledge of the seas and oceans by discovering two French nuggets in the field: the French Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER) and the French Naval Hydrographic Service (SHOM). Engineer General Laurent Kerléguer, Director of SHOM, explained the missions of this world-renowned service, the French benchmark for knowledge of the seabed. During a round table discussion, the audience also had the opportunity to talk to two IFREMER researchers, Benoît Loubrieu, a specialist in the Extraplac programme, and Cédric Bacher, an expert in coastal ecosystems. Listeners learned just how little is known about the seas and oceans - much less than about the surface of the moon or Mars - and how extraordinarily vulnerable they are to the excesses of human activity. They also discovered the strategic importance of oceanography and hydrography in defence, legal and diplomatic matters.
After a brief lunch break, Vice-Admiral Olivier Lebas, Commander of the Atlantic Maritime Area, discussed with the audience the many issues at stake in this ocean, which has given its name to today's largest military alliance: NATO. It is also the home of the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SNLE) on which France's sovereignty and defence of its vital interests depend. The audience was then taken on a virtual tour of the MICA Centre, where its commander, Lieutenant-Commander Gilles Chehab, demonstrated the importance of this centre, which constantly updates the global maritime traffic situation and offers a highly responsive response to incidents or accidents, particularly in the face of piracy and banditry in the Gulf of Guinea.
Finally, the auditors' day ended on a high note with a meeting with Vice-Admiral Chaineau, commander of the submarine forces and the strategic oceanic force (FOST). They were able to discuss with him the major challenges facing France's nuclear deterrent and to appreciate the level of complexity, technology and rigour - unique to only a handful of nations in the world - required to carry out this exceptional mission without interruption for half a century now, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. But above all, listeners were impressed by this absolutely reliable chain, based on uncompromising selection and absolute trust, linking the President of the Republic, the sole holder of the ultimate decision, to each submarine on patrol.
After a virtual night sail to Lorient, the listeners met up again on Saturday morning to talk with Rear Admiral Christophe Lucas, commander of the fusiliers marins et commandos maritime force, and Captain Jean-Christophe Turret, commander of the Lann-Bihoué naval air force, who shared with them the challenges they face. The first immersed them in the mythical world of these world-renowned elite units, which have left their mark on France's history and continue today to carry out the most perilous missions, where excellence in operational standards and brotherhood of arms are the cement of operational effectiveness. The second gave them a first-hand experience of the virtuosity required of airborne pilots to land in heavy weather with an accuracy of just a few metres. The audience then discovered the impressive range of operational capabilities of an Atlantique 2, both at sea and on land. This maritime patrol aircraft, a French aircraft with the largest weapons-carrying capacity (missiles, torpedoes, bombs, etc.), is in fact a veritable "Swiss Army knife". In addition to its exceptional capacity to gather information and intelligence, thanks to a wide range of sensors (electronic, electromagnetic, acoustic, video, infrared, etc.), it is capable of rescuing shipwrecked crew as well as destroying a ship, a submarine or a land target in the middle of the desert.
Finally, the listeners devoted Saturday afternoon to their committee work, electing their committee chairman. But they will take away from their stopover in Brittany the image of these passionate sailors whom they have promised themselves, as soon as health conditions allow, to meet again in the flesh, and above all to "touch the sheet metal" of their ships and aircraft to vent their frustration at having seen them only through their screens.
The end of 2020 is fast approaching and the New Year brings with it the hope that listeners will be able to leave their screens as soon as possible to meet up again and continue together to discover the maritime issues that are so important for France and to think about the best strategies for dealing with them.
