Last Friday, a fire ravaged Le Perle, a nuclear attack submarine, in the port of Toulon. The ship was in dry dock pending repair. No victim is to be deplored but the sidelining of this strategic building, during the duration of its repairs, could call into question the maritime military strategy of France. The priority mission of this type of submarine is to escort the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, but also larger submarines capable of firing nuclear missiles.
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A new distribution of missions
These submarines are essential for nuclear deterrence. The four ships still in operation could therefore spend less time on side missions, such as gathering intelligence.
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"You should know that today another submarine is on technical stop until the end of the year: that's two less submarines. It had priority missions like deterrence, escorting the aircraft carriers and others that may have lower priority, such as intelligence or off Syria, "said Patrick van den Ende, defense consultant with CEIS.
The Suffren's Hope
The French fleet is thus weakened. Enough to give ideas to the rival powers. "The Russians regularly deploy submarines and vessels off the Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay to monitor our activities, so indeed we can envisage in the coming months an intensification of Russian deployments," added the consultant.
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In the Navy, we are waiting for the Suffren, a new ultramodern submarine currently under test, to be delivered. But it won't be until next year, three years behind schedule.