FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
"The world has revealed its true nature: unstable, dangerous and not everyone is a friend. We're gearing up for a culture of vigilance, to be ready at a moment's notice."
French troops are preparing for a high-intensity conflict against an enemy that can match their might, a big change for an army that has spent decades fighting insurgencies in places like Mali and Afghanistan.
" The conflict in Ukraine, now in its third year, has brought full-scale warfare back to the continent ," said Colonel Axel Denis, who heads the Combat Training Center at Mailly-le-cam in eastern France.
" The world has revealed its true nature: unstable, dangerous and not everyone is a friend. We're preparing for a culture of vigilance, to be ready at a moment's notice, " he told POLITICO during a visit to the camp.
The conditions for training troops at CENTAC are as close as possible to an actual battlefield. The sound, heat and light of artillery fire are reproduced, while dummy mines are strewn about and radio communications can be interrupted without warning.
The 120 square kilometer camp is unique in France. With an area larger than Paris, it is the only place where the various units of the French army - infantry, armour, artillery and engineers, which are usually scattered across the country - can exercise together. It is also the only place where two dozen Leclerc tanks are in operation year-round.
Officials are not naming potential enemies, but the training is aimed at preparing troops to fight an enemy like Russia.
"After decades of military operations in Africa, France is increasingly focusing on the eastern flank of Europe and its armed forces must be reliable," army chief General Pierre Schill said in January.
By 2027 the French army aims to be able to deploy a division of around 25,000 soldiers in 30 days.
Combined arms warfare
In the scenario created for the French trainees, their goal is to slow down their enemies, played by experienced troops permanently stationed at CENTAC. It is not an easy task.
The main lesson from Ukraine, CENTAC officers said, is to avoid head-on head-on attacks that result in high casualties and fail to push the enemy back.
Instead, infantry, armor, engineers and artillery, integrated with new technology like drones that relay information to troops and deliver lethal force on the battlefield, must work together seamlessly.
"The war in Ukraine reinforced the importance of combined arms combat. It's the only way to fight," said Lt. Col. Vincent, head of the camp's coordination and management office.
At a time when everyone is constantly connected, CENTAC trainers want troops to be aware of the dangers of being online.
" Smartphones and social networks are a real threat to soldiers ," said Lt. Col. Vincent. The enemy force has means of detecting the signals and fires artillery at the detected locations; a captain lost his entire crew to a smartphone.
Once the training is complete, Soldiers will receive a performance evaluation and a grade on a scale of one to five.
"We never gave a five," said Lt. Col. Vincent. As the motto of the French Foreign Legion says, "hard training, easy fighting," he added./ Adapted "Pamphlet", obtained by " Politico "
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