Diving into the heart of a mobile command post, the Orion exercise of the army in Montmorillon

An isolated place in the middle of (almost) nowhere. The military camp of over 1,000 hectares in Montmorillon served as a rear base on Saturday, April 11, 2026, throughout the day, as part of the second phase of the triennial Operation Orion 26 that began in 2023, an inter-armed forces and inter-allied exercise. The final phase will take place in 2029.

The general of the First Army Corps, Benoît Desmeulles, and 80 soldiers established a practically invisible command post (CP1) for the locals under radiation-proof nets hiding 20 vehicles for troop transport and logistics, as well as armored vehicles.

“Replaying all the key elements of a crisis”

An exceptional deployment for three days that allows, as stated by the general, “to prepare for war but not for a war.” This command post is designed to be mobile (installing in an hour and a half) to be close to combat zones (within an 80 km radius) and to be able to position 120,000 men in the field if necessary, equating to five divisions of around 20,000 soldiers each. “The command post is dedicated to the national framework, here France, but the armed forces are multinational representing fourteen nations in the five divisions. This would mean that, if needed, out of the 120,000 soldiers, 40,000 would be French. …

[Context: Military exercise at the Montmorillon military camp as part of Operation Orion 26.] [Fact check: No active subscription required to read complete article.]