As highlighted by the French Chief of Defence Staff (CEMA) in his
strategic vision, the changing international context requires us to
envisage the nature of future operations in a three-phase continuum of
competition-contest-conflict. “Exercise ORION 2023” is the first
exercise in what French Joint Forces Command hopes will be a triennial
cycle of exercises aimed at reinforcing joint forces operational
readiness.
ORION is based on a scenario developed by NATO to apprehend the
different phases of a modern conflict and will be on a scale
unprecedented in recent decades. It aims to train the French armed
forces within a multinational joint forces framework, with the goal of
refocusing the armed forces and their various branches and
administrative levels on a joint, multi-domain (MDO) exercise in a
contested environment. The exercise will also involve an
inter-ministerial perspective extending beyond purely military concerns.
So, one of the major training themes of ORION 23 will be the
coordination of assets and effects over the full spectrum of operations,
in order to tackle these hybrid strategies. For example, as a joint
forces inter-ministerial exercise, ORION will bring together the
energies of civilian and military personnel working on the cohesion of
the French nation and on France’s resilience in the face of the
challenges presented by an international context of growing instability.
The integration of our Allies in the exercise reinforces the
credibility of the defence alliance, while demonstrating France’s
capability to engage as a leading coalition partner. Several
international partners (United States, United Kingdom, Spain etc.) have
confirmed that they are taking part in the various phases of the
exercise. This multinational dimension will enable every branch of
French command to integrate allied units and optimize interoperability
with them.
This exercise will directly help to demonstrate France’s role as a major
force for balance, able to commit to the defence of its own interests
and to live up to its ambitions by engaging its effective participation
in any actions that the Alliance may take in response a crisis. In this
respect, the exercise will enable France to position itself as one of
the few European nations able to summon this level of expertise in the
operational planning and conduct of large-scale military exercises.
Exercise ORION will also enable the various branches of the French armed
forces to maintain their response capability and their capacity to meet
the demands of their operational contract. It will integrate around
twenty training exercises (AsterX,, DEFNET, POLARIS etc.) that are
normally conducted separately by the armed forces. Consequently, the
training will gain in density, with greater realism and higher
intensity, while reducing the logistic workload and achieving economies
of scale.
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