French Forces Rejoin Operation Enduring Freedom

They’re baaaaaaaack!

[quote]French Forces Rejoin Operation Enduring Freedom
US Department of Defense, Fri, 12 May 2006, 00:17

SOUTHWEST ASIA: The French Navy Carrier Air Wing returned to the coalition fight last week, flying their first missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom since November.

“Our main mission while we are here is to support troops on the ground and contribute to reconnaissance efforts as well,” said Lt. Col. Gerard Brunel, commander of the French detachment at the Combined Air Operations Center. It is Central Command Air Forces policy not to disclose the specific location of its forward headquarters or the CAOC.

The French also hope to strengthen cooperation with countries in the Indian Ocean and the Asia-Pacific region and reinforce their operational capacity, he added.

“We welcome the return of our French allies to the CAOC,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Allen Peck, deputy Combined Force Air Component commander. “With continuing rotations of airpower provided by our allies from around the world, the effort to support our troops on the ground is a truly a coalition operation.”

Peck added that the French delegation at the CAOC plays an important role in the mission, coordinating the French airpower contribution, which includes close-air support, tactical reconnaissance and aerial refueling. “They ensure their assets are used effectively to support Operation Enduring Freedom,” he said.

During its last tour in Southwest Asia, the French air force flew more than 400 sorties, logging nearly 2,000 flying hours. These included about 720 hours flying the M-2000 Mirage, 550 hours in the F-1 Mirage and 680 C-135 SR tanker hours.

The French air force also enhanced the coalition combat capability during its last tour by performing six successful air strikes using laser-guided bombs against enemy forces.

French officials said that though the political choices of France and the United States may sometimes be different, there has always been a good understanding at the technical level between the two nations.

“This is not the first time we have joined the fight; the French and Americans have worked together for many years to fight international terrorism, and we will continue in the future,” Brunel said. “We are proud to be a part of the coalition effort in Afghanistan.”
defencetalk.com/news/publish … 005979.php[/quote]

Hurray! I am so so so so so so pleased that the Germans and French are allies and friends again. Nothing bothered me more about this whole Iraq thing than the poor relations that dogged us. Hurray, double hurray and triple hurray. I am glad things are back to normal, nay, even better than normal.

They want their oil back? :smiling_imp:

Or maybe because the U.S. administration now finally looks as if it got a more realistic view on where Iraq actually lies, what is going on there and what they are heading for?

You know … reality slowly sinking in and no more “we be showered in flowers, this thing will be a cakewalk / mission acomplished / this will all just run like in Germany & Japan after WWII” nonsense. Also public oppinion in the U.S. departing from this fairy tale.

That maybe and the Bush administration eating a whole lot of chalk lately. What was that again about “silly old Europeans”?

Seriously though, what I wonder is why does the Bush administration give France even a moderate chance “to steal their thunder”. You know what I mean? Let the French get a foot in and later claim they have been along too in this “super-duper-uber-success in the War on Terror”.

Bush should stick to his guns and tell the French off. It’s his campaign, his glorious victory he is steaming forward to and hopping on the band-waggon so late now is just cheap.

After all, the U.S. had, has and will have the capability to start, carry out and succeed in their operation Enduring Freedom unilateral. Correct?

Let the French first tidy up their suburbs.

Maybe Iraq is easier for them?

Maybe Iraq is easier for them?[/quote]

:smiley: :bravo:

Uhhh…WTF???

The French have always been part of Operation Enduring Freedom, which is the mission to overthrow the Taliban in Afghanistan

All the article is saying is that the French Navy Carrier Air Wing (and presumably the Charles-de-Gaulle) is back after a rotation off-duty. It has zero to do with Iraq or any change in French/American relations

[quote]France had 2,000 military personnel in the region as of early November 2001. As of 07 November 2001 a total of 1,200 navy troops, 200 air force staff, 100 logistics staff and 500 military intelligence officers were engaged – including personnel operating out of France. Aircraft included Mirage IVP reconnaissance jets and a Transall Gabriel plane equipped with electronic surveillance equipment. The French aircraft carrier, the Charles-de-Gaulle, deployed from Toulon for the north of the Indian Ocean, on December 1, 2001. It crossed the Suez Canal on December 11, 2001. Articulated around the aircraft carrier, the air and sea group also includes the anti-aircraft frigate Jean Bart, the anti-submarine frigates Jean de Vienne and the La Motte-Piquet, the supply tanker Meuse and the nuclear attack submarine Rubis. The Charles-de-Gaulle embarked 16 Super-Etendard (reconaissance and assault), two Rafale (air superiority), and two Hawkeye (air surveillance). The air and sea group, in addition to the support for the ground actions in Afghanistan, will take part in the maritime patrol of the zone, in order to avoid the exfiltration of terrorist leaders by sea.

A French task force composed of soldiers from the 21st Marine Infantry Regiment deployed on November 17, 2001, to survey the the modalities of operations aimed at repairing the airfield at Mazar-e Sharif. Deployement of additional French personnel tasked with securing the outside perimeter of the airfield began on 01 December 2001.

On 28 November 2001 CENTCOM Commander Gen. Tommy R. Franks stated that additional attack aircraft from the United States and France [and possibly other states] would be sent to Central Asia in early December. Kyrgyzstan was reportedly the most likely base for most of the aircraft. France reportedly requested permission to base six Mirage-2000 multi-purpose fighter bombers, two C-130 tanker aircraft and 200 technicians in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

France deployed its only aircraft carrier, the nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle, to the Indian Ocean in early December 2001. The Carrier Tars Force centered around the De Gaulle, has been designated as CTF 473 by the French Navy. A total of up to 5,000 French servicemen may be sent to the region to participate in the military operation in Afghanistan. An electronic surveillance vessel – the 4,870-ton converted supply ship Bougainville – is in the region collecting intelligence. As of early March 2002, CTF 473 was composed of the De Gaulle, the “Jean Bart”, “De Grasse”, and “La Motte-Picquet” frigates, the Tanker “Somme” and the Nuclear Attack Submarine “Rubis”.

Six French Mirage 2000 multirole combat fighter aircraft arrived on February 27, 2002, at Manas International Airport in Kyrgyzstan, to fly fighter and reconnaissance missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.[/quote]

globalsecurity.org/military/ … deploy.htm

MikeN -
Yes, they were there at the git go. Then were pulled out. And now have decided to triumphantly return…a very French thing to do.
But its good to see them back.
Perhaps all those riots and car burning gave them pause about their actions ?

[quote=“TainanCowboy”]MikeN -
Yes, they were there at the git go. Then were pulled out. And now have decided to triumphantly return…a very French thing to do.
But its good to see them back.
Perhaps all those riots and car burning gave them pause about their actions ?[/quote]

When were they pulled out? French ground forces have been in Afghanistan all along, and the last tour mentioned below ended in November 2005

[quote]“We welcome the return of our French allies to the CAOC,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Allen Peck, deputy Combined Force Air Component commander. “With continuing rotations of airpower provided by our allies from around the world, the effort to support our troops on the ground is a truly a coalition operation.”

Peck added that the French delegation at the CAOC plays an important role in the mission, coordinating the French airpower contribution, which includes close-air support, tactical reconnaissance and aerial refueling. “They ensure their assets are used effectively to support Operation Enduring Freedom,” he said.

During its last tour in Southwest Asia, the French air force flew more than 400 sorties, logging nearly 2,000 flying hours. These included about 720 hours flying the M-2000 Mirage, 550 hours in the F-1 Mirage and 680 C-135 SR tanker hours. [/quote]

I don’t see any triumphalism here, other than your subject heading- seems to be describing a pretty normal rotation to me. Since they’ve only got one carrier, it has to go home for refitting and resupply now and then, mais oui?

If you look at the record of the Charles-de-Gaulle, it’s been bouncing back and forth around the Indian Ocean and the Med on various missions, including deployment to Enduring Freedom, since November 2001.

answers.com/topic/french-air … -de-gaulle

Mike N, please don’t bring in facts here, you are shattering some people’s wet dreams (or better: illusions).

Even if certain countries would be (re)joining it’s probably just a sign that those countries think the US can’t handle it alone. :smiling_imp:

Further info on the reasons behind the French pull-out earlier:
Official reson given for previous withdrawl of forces…carrier problems.

See - How NOT to Build an Aircraft Carrier
This is the carrier that was called back. They actually installed a nuclear submarine engine in their
aircraft carrier. Nice idea - very poor installation - exposed the crew to 5x’s the radiation they should
have safely received.

And, if this was not problem enough, the ship has two major, currently unsolved problems. One, it has the
spare propellers off of the smaller conventional carriers that France used to field. This reduces the top
speed of the ship by quite a bit. Two, it has a bad case of rudder flutter at “higher” speeds, rendering
it almost unsteerable and very unpleasant to inhabit. The ship is currently limited to a top speed of approx.
15 knots.
The list of screwups on the ship is nearly endless - from the defective reactor systems to the armored glass
for the superstructure (which was discovered to be opaque after installation).
The crew calls it “the ship of the damned”.

[quote]For every year in operation the ship has to spend four months in dock undergoing maintenance and repairs.

November 2000: a large segment of one of the 19-ton propellors breaks/falls off during exercises in the Bermuda
Triangle. After limping back to port in Toulon, it is discovered that the manufacturer, Atlantic Industries, had
gone bankrupt the previous year. Turns out the replacement screws all have the same defect. In order to put the
carrier back in service, they cannibalized the Foch’s backup screws.

Though the vessel has sufficient power to run 27 knots, it cannot exceed 15 knots because of severe rudder flutter
that sets in above that speed. Reportedly at 27 knots the noise generated by the vibration in the stern reaches 100db,
rendering the entire stern area of the ship uninhabitable.

As originally constructed, the flight deck was 30 meters too short to operate the E-2 aircraft they were going to
carry on the ship.

After modifying the deck, it had to be repainted, because the paint turned out to be highly corrosive to the arrestor
cables needed to land aircraft.

The reactor shielding was completely overhauled when it was discovered that the engine crews were being exposed to five
times the allowable level of radiation. Note - expect lots of glowing submariners; the CdG reactors are the same as in
their new SSBN class. And those don’t have/can’t have the upgraded shielding.

In 2000, a reactor test set a part of the ship on fire.

A toxic gas leak took out a sailor and an officer while the vessel was in port.

As originally delivered, the armored bridge windows were opaque, and none of the sensor systems actually worked.
Electrical problems continue to plague the ship.

The ship has a much larger radar signature as well as sonar signature (it’s apparently rather loud) than originally planned.

A mysterious fire in the builder’s offices destroyed most of the information on the ship; there are still ongoing
investigations regarding corruption and bribery (shades of Airbus).

And, unlike US nuclear carriers, it cannot conduct simultaneous launch and recovery operations, because of the size
of the deck and the placement of the catapaults. This means that if there’s a catastrophic incident on landing, the
entire deck is fouled and no airplanes can be launched until the deck is cleared.

US nuclear carriers can continue to launch aircraft even if the entire aft section of the flight deck is on fire.
Likewise, a catapault failure or fire on the forward part of the flight deck does not affect landing operations.

They are already thinking about retiring it in favor of two conventional carriers to be built by the Brits; it was 11
years in the building, and has been ‘in service’ only since 2000.[/quote]

Oh yes…and Rascals contribution to this thread…

[quote=“Rascal”]Mike N, please don’t bring in facts here, you are shattering some people’s wet dreams (or better: illusions).

Even if certain countries would be (re)joining it’s probably just a sign that those countries think the US can’t handle it alone. :smiling_imp:[/quote]

[quote=“TainanCowboy”]Oh yes…and Rascals contribution to this thread…

Well, what about your huzza and wet dream though that the French now pull their weight behind your pet project Enduring Freedom?

Taking a look at the carrier as you describe it … is the term ‘lip service’ in your passive vocabulary?

Anyone getting excited over this “support of Enduring Freedom”? Beggars can’t be choosers, huh?

Shoosh MikeN, you’re killing boners left, right, and center (or should I say, right, right, and far right) with all this!

In other news - does this mean France isn’t evil anymore?

[quote=“Tetsuo”]Shoosh MikeN, you’re killing boners left, right, and center (or should I say, right, right, and far right) with all this!

In other news - does this mean France isn’t evil anymore?[/quote]

yes, now they may return to their position at arm’s length. :slight_smile:

[quote=“TainanCowboy”]They’re baaaaaaaack!

[quote]French Forces Rejoin Operation Enduring Freedom US Department of Defense, Fri, 12 May 2006, 00:17

[/quote][/quote]

So now we’ll definitely win. (No one fucks with the French.)

Does this mean the far right-wing loonies can go back to saying French fries and French toast?

s. b. is that Ron Jeremy of that Al-Queda leader that was caught in Pakistan?