A joint replenishment-at-sea and live-fire drill was one of the concluding activities of Polaris 25, the month-long, French-led multi-domain exercise staged in the Atlantic Ocean and English Channel.
As per a French Navy press statement, the multi-mission (FREMM) frigate Auvergne conducted a firing exercise simultaneously during its replenishment, while command and supply vessel Somme carried out advanced training in replenishment at sea with the multi-mission frigate FS Bretagne and the Spanish frigate ESPS Cristobal Colón.
Refuelling drills were also carried out with the two amphibious helicopter carriers Dixmude and Tonnerre, which deployed Panther and Caïman type air assets at the same time.
The statement noted: “This dual inter-allied manoeuvre is fully in line with the Polaris approach, which trains units for combat in real conditions.”
It added: “The realistic scenario enables preparation for the specificities of modern combat, combining land, sea, air, cyber, seabed, cyberspace, space, electronic warfare and the information field, while stimulating the inventiveness and combativeness of military personnel.”
Polaris 25 started in mid-May and concluded on Sunday, and it involved over 3,000 French and foreign military personnel from all three military domains, as well as a total of more than 20 surface ships and in excess of 40 aircraft.
During the refuelling drills towards the end of the exercise, the 76-millimeter artillery practice firing was conducted during the transfer of fuel from the Somme to the Auvergne, testing both ships’ crews under the pressure of air and surface threats.
Participating forces, which included NATO task group Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1), included assets from Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S.
U.K.–France-led amphibious drills in Devon represented the largest such manoeuvres since WWII, featuring joint landings by Royal Marines, French naval infantry, Spanish and Italian troops, supported by 11 warships and helicopters.
Exercise-based naval confrontations between “Blue” and “Red” fleets followed, supported by submarines, frigates, and aircraft.
SNMG1 Commander, Royal Netherlands Navy Commodore Arjen S. Warnaar noted: “Polaris 25 was a valuable exercise in which we operated as one team alongside our Allies, against our training opponents.”
He added: “Cooperation and collective efforts make us stronger against any threat — at sea and in the air.”
- You can read more about the exercise on the French Navy website and the NATO MARCOM website
