France will deploy the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its strike group to the Mediterranean as conflict escalates in the Middle East, President Emmanuel Macron has announced. With the Strait of Hormuz closed and the Suez Canal and Red Sea under threat, Macron emphasized the need to protect French economic interests and ensure freedom of navigation for global trade.
The carrier group includes French frigates L'Amiral Ronarc'h, Alsace, Chevalier Paul, the oiler Jacques Chevallier, and the Italian destroyer Andrea Doria. The air group aboard typically includes Rafale jets, E-2C Hawkeyes, and helicopters. Additional air-defense assets and frigates will be sent to Cyprus following recent strikes in the region.
Macron stressed building a coalition to pool military resources to secure maritime routes essential to the global economy. French forces, already active in the Middle East, have intercepted drones to protect allied airspace, while the carrier's redeployment from the Baltic and Northern Atlantic underscores France's commitment to stabilizing the region amid rising oil, gas, and trade disruptions...
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