Exercise ORION 23 In France

France has been conducting its largest military exercise with Allied forces in decades ~ Exercise ORION 23 involving 7,000 NATO personnel.

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France has launched its biggest military exercise in decades. The second phase of Exercise ORION involves 7,000 soldiers including assets from host nation France and US and UK joint assets, as well as naval assets from NATO Allies Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, and focuses on defensive operations on land, in the air, at sea and in cyberspace.

As part of the exercise, three French Air and Space Force A400M transport aircraft dropped 700 French troops from the 8th Marines Infantry Parachute Regiment (RPIMa) and an attached company from the 17 Engineer Parachute Regiment over an airfield in Castres. Another three aircraft dropped 48 hours’ worth of equipment and supplies for the force to secure and hold the area.

During another phase, 700 amphibious troops came ashore from the French Navy’s amphibious ships Tonnerre and Mistral, along with vehicles and equipment. They disembarked in the coastal town of Sète before heading further north to practise manoeuvres and operations.

This NATO Multimedia footage, captured 25th February and released 1st March, includes various shots of French paratroopers landing in Castres and French amphibious troops coming ashore in Sète, as well as interviews with French officers.

Shot list:-

• 00:00 ~ French Air and Space Force A400M aircraft drops French Paratroopers over Castres Airfield in France
• 00:26 ~ French Air and Space Force A400M aircraft drops French Paratroopers over Castres Airfield in France
• 01:02 ~ vehicles and equipment parachute to the ground at Castres Airfield
• 01:18 ~ French Paratroopers parachute towards the ground at Castres Airfield
• 02:04 ~ French Paratroopers land and pack away their parachutes
• 02:18 ~ French Paratroopers land and pack away their parachutes
• 02:41 ~ French Paratroopers carry their equipment across Castres Airfield
• 03:06 ~ French Paratroopers carry their equipment across Castres Airfield
• 03:23 ~ French Paratroopers prepare for exercise to secure and hold the area
• 03:45 ~ French Paratrooper surveys the area
• 03:52 ~ French Paratroopers conduct exercise to secure and hold the area
• 04:03 ~ landing craft exit French ship off the coast of Sète
• 04:14 ~ French landing craft bring troops, vehicles and equipment to port
• 04:32 ~ vehicles and troops disembark from landing craft at the port in Sète, France
• 05:08 ~ French troops disembark from landing craft at the port in Sète, France
• 05:17 ~ French troops direct the vehicles as they disembark
• 05:37 ~ landing craft leaves the port in Sète
• 05:44 ~ landing craft enters the ship, reloads with vehicles and troops and then the landing craft exits the ship
• 06:15 ~ French troops and vehicles move away from the port and prepare to conduct training operations
• 06:36 ~ soundbite (French) – Captain Thibault, 8e Régiment de Parachutistes d’Infanterie de Marine, French Navy: “Air transport allows us to strike fast, hard and far. It is a unique combat tool for the French Army, allowing us to free ourselves from spatial constraints and strike behind enemy lines.”
• 06:49 ~ soundbite (French) – Captain Thibault: “The advantage of these exercises is that they mobilise the three armies: air, sea and land forces, as well as cyber defence. In other words, many forces train separately throughout the year, and little by little we increase the training requirements until we all work together. It’s a bit like a rugby or football team, the attack and defence have to work together, after having trained in their respective areas.”
• 07:10 ~ soundbite (French) – Captain Charles, 1er Regiment Étranger de Génie, French Army: “Today we are deploying land forces on two amphibious helicopter carriers, and here I am in charge of one of the two sites, counting the equipment and making sure the site is secure.”
• 07:25 ~ soundbite (French) – Captain Charles: “It’s one of the French Army’s skills, we’re here to train and do amphibious operations, which is a skill that we don’t necessarily work on very often, so today it’s a special exercise that allows 700 people to train.”
• 07:39 ~ soundbite (French) – Captain Charles: “I think that today, the French Army has to work constantly with foreign countries. It is very important to collaborate and it seems logical to train with our partners even in our national exercises.”

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