France And Allied Forces Conduct Largest Military Training In Decades

France has conducted its largest military exercise in decades, known as Exercise Orion 23.

Approximately 7,000 soldiers, including assets from host nation France and joint assets from the US and the UK, participated in the second phase of Exercise Orion in France in February 2023.

In a video obtained by Newsflash from NATO, various shots of French paratroopers can be seen landing in Castres.

It also shows French amphibious troops coming ashore in the town of Sete, as well as interviews with French officers.

Naval assets from NATO allies such as Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain also participated in the exercise, which focused on defensive operations on land, in the air, at sea, and in cyberspace.

The French Air and Space Force played a significant role in the exercise by deploying three A400M transport aircraft, which dropped 700 French troops from the 8th Marines Infantry Parachute Regiment and an attached company from the 17 Engineer Parachute Regiment over an airfield in Castres.

In another phase of the exercise, three more aircraft dropped 48 hours’ worth of equipment and supplies for the force to secure and hold the area.

During the exercise, 700 amphibious troops also came ashore from the French Navy's amphibious ships Tonnerre and Mistral, along with vehicles and equipment.

They disembarked in the coastal town of Sete before heading north to practice manoeuvres and operations.

The exercise aimed to test and improve France's military readiness and interoperability with its allies in the event of a large-scale conflict.