Great Britain and France took part in a great naval exercise

 

France's top naval officer, Admiral Pierre Vandier, said future conflicts were likely to be fought at sea and in cyberspace, citing "rapid rearmament" of countries like China as a potential threat, according to The Guardian.

Admiral Vandier made his comments after French Marines and forces from five Allies, including the United Kingdom, took part in what he described as a unique two-week Polaris 21 exercise designed to prepare them for "complex threats".

  Political and diplomatic relations between London and Paris fell to a new low after the AUKUS dispute, when Australia canceled a contract to buy French submarines and signed a joint security pact with the United Kingdom and the United States to buy American submarines instead of French but defensive ties. both sides remain healthy, the paper said

Addressing the crew and journalists aboard the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, the flagship of the French navy, after the end of the Polaris 21 exercise, Vandier said: "Over the last 20 years, we have seen naval forces involved in conflicts on land, as in Syria, Iraq and Libya.

  "Today the seas are or will be challenged by submarines, cyber attacks, space attacks and the naval war itself. Our mission is to understand these factors in an operational environment. "

Vandier said the rapid growth of certain naval forces, which he would not point to in the Mediterranean - clearly Russia - and China in the Pacific, were the main threats.

"Today we are seeing an increase in the navy to two or three times more than in previous years. "We are seeing a triple in the Chinese navy in 10 years, so now it is outpacing the US navy," he said.

  The speed of international rearmament creates chaos and calls into question "the cornerstone of international stability," he said. "We can't wait until it's too late, we can't be surprised, we have to prove our confidence. In an unlimited, uncertain, unstable world, if we want to be respected, we must show our determination. We must prepare for battle in all situations. "

Polaris 21, one of the largest international naval exercises to date, involved 6,000 troops from six countries - all NATO allies - and half the French navy in a simulation of a "high-intensity" battle for control of the occupied territories.

  Twenty-two warships took part, including ships from the United States, Italy, Spain, Greece and the Royal Navy's Type 45 destroyer, as well as the French Air Force and Air Force. The participants were divided into two conditionally "enemy camps" and took part in an intense six-day "battle" in real time, controlled by "Charles de Gaulle".