Facing reality: French armys show of force, engaged in military exercise Orion 26

Emmanuel Macron attends last day of military exercise Orion 26

• Emmanuel Macron attended on Thursday, April 30, the last day of the extensive military exercise Orion 26.
• The President of the Republic praised “this success and a clear message sent to our allies and our adversaries.”
• But what is the real purpose of this exercise?

Emmanuel Macron attended on Thursday, April 30, the last day of the extensive military exercise Orion 26, which takes place in Suippes, Marne, and he believes it contributes to making France a “recognized power by its allies, feared by its enemies.” The President of the Republic could be seen with his helmet in an armored vehicle, in the front row to admire the Caesar cannons in action or even in the trenches.

“It is the largest French military exercise since the end of the Cold War,” recalls Solenn Riou, an international journalist at LCI. “It was conceived in 2021 with a first version two years later. Objective: to train the French army and NATO in new wars of high intensity through a fictional but credible scenario” (see the video at the top of this article).

“It is a challenge because we are often used to working on our own grounds, our training camps that we know by heart. And here, we find ourselves in a real situation, in a place we do not know. We are forced to face reality,” explains Colonel Jérôme Paris.

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Orion 26 is part of the context of the return of conflicts on European soil. “The Ukrainian context, the geopolitical context influence the modernization of our procedures,” confirms Captain Benjamin. “We always try to be up to date with what is happening in new wars.”