Another NATO carrier deployment with a multinational task group...
In first, France’s aircraft carrier to deploy under NATO command - Defense News
PARIS — France’s aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its strike group will deploy under NATO command for the first time, as the French Navy’s flagship resumes operations after interim maintenance that kept it out of action most of last year.
The Charles de Gaulle, with an escort including a French air-defense frigate, a multimission frigate and a nuclear attack submarine, will start a deployment in the Mediterranean on April 22, according to Rear Adm. Jacques Mallard, commander of the French carrier strike group. Vessels from the United States, Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal will complete the escort.
While French aircraft and individual vessels have previously operated under NATO direction, the carrier strike group has until now remained under national command, according to Mallard.
Sailing under alliance command for part of the envisioned tour is meant to “show that we’re an ally who’s doing what everyone else is doing, but also to understand how the chain of command works,” Mallard said in a press briefing on April 11. “It’s a first, but it’s a logical continuation of what’s been going on until now.”
The goal is to “reinforce the defensive and deterrent posture of the alliance” as well as support operations that favor regional stability, with a focus on the central and eastern Mediterranean, according to a presentation by Mallard. The entire deployment might last around six weeks, according to the Armed Forces Ministry...
Within the NATO theatre, carrier groups are often multinational. Every one is different, for instance CdG does not have an ASW role in the same way as that ours do, so the other warships in the task group will supply the ASW helicopters as well as long range sonars.