“Welcome to the Mourmelon camp. From this moment on you will have no coverage.” Thus begins a day accompanying the French Army during the military maneuvers of Operation Orion-26, the largest military exercises carried out in Europa since the end of the Cold War and that propose preparation for the war of the future.
After three buses and several checkpoints, EL PERIÓDICO tours with Captain Bastien the different combat scenarios deployed in the fields of Mailly-Le-Camps (Aube), where other European armies also participate, including the Spanish one. “It is the first time that training of this type has been carried out with several navies and under a simulation that recreates a real situation, because we have to be prepared for any scenario“he explains.
“Here we have 650 targets and a team of expert shooters that train Army units without rest in courses that last between two and three weeks. We shoot with all calibers, nuclear weapons exceptionof course. But all the others can be fired with controlled charges of explosives. This allows the tactical commander to use all available resources — artillery, infantry, cavalry, engineers — to train in support phases and maintain control operations that last at least three days at the end of their training.”
French soldier in one of the trenches during operation ORION-26 / Leticia Fuentes
We follow him through a network of trenches, where in each corner a soldier appears silently, attentive to the arrival of the enemy. “Bonjour” whispers one of them. “The goals They are revealed based on a scenario managed from the Symphony Tower, which is located behind you, and which controls both the security and the proper functioning of the offensive or defensive scenarios. Depending on this, objectives of all kinds are deployed; silhouettes for small arms, tank targets and, more recently, drones that fly over the entire complex”.
Drones have become the undisputed protagonists of recent wars. France is aware of the need to modernize, train and equip its armed forces with the highest technology. For this reason, it has recently introduced into its ranks the small ‘Gecko’ dronecapable of carrying a load of 4 kilos, equivalent to an 81 millimeter projectile, in addition to the convenience of being able to pilot it through a tablet. “These drones provide recognition and attack at a greater range, which allows them to reach the heart of the complex and directly attack the objectives, often without the need for a melee“.
One of the drones belonging to the French navy / Leticia Fuentes
Caesar tanks and Tiger helicopters
The soldiers, dressed in their combat uniforms, with their faces camouflaged and armed to the teeth, and the incessant noise of gunshots, barely allow us to distinguish that it is a simulacrum. “Captain, we are still waiting for the order,” says one. “Even though they are exercises that simulate reality, you always have to be careful and act with caution,” explains the captain.
After several minutes advancing through the hallways of the trenchesthe group arrives at battlefieldwhere several soldiers are hidden in the grass, equipped with missiles capable of destroying a armored 4 kilometers away.
Divided into four stagesthe second battlefield is different. There is nowhere to hide. An immense esplanade, without trees or natural cover, exposes the battalion not only to the enemy, but also to the relentless wind that plagues the Champagne region. Several Caesar and Leopard tanks They protect the positions of a dozen soldiers sheltered on a small hill. “These tanks here were deployed in Afghanistan, Mali and also participated in the Navy Ukrainian. Their advantage is that they move and shoot quickly, and that allows them to leave the combat zone quickly to change position,” says the captain. Niankoy for EL PERIÓDICOveteran of the conflict Kosovo.
After the sound of the tank detonations, a dry silence takes over the place. They break it, seconds later, several Tiger helicopters flying over the area. In one of themPresident Emmanuel Macron travels, who wanted to attend the “final assault” of the last day of these exercises. “We have to switch to mass artillery, like the Atlas artillery,” says General Schiller under the watchful eye of the president, who does not hesitate to get on a Griffon helicopter, with a camouflage net and a vest equipped with a camera to monitor the maneuvers: “President, on the screen you will see where the projectiles will impact 2.3 kilometers away,” an officer explains to him.
12,500 soldiers, including Spaniards
In a strategic context marked by the return of armed conflicts, the multiplication of crises and the increase in hybrid threats, the Orion 2026 exercise consists of an unprecedented magnitude; 12,500 soldiers deployed since the beginning of April and a NATO command, in which countries participate, such as Belgium, Italy, Greece or Spain.
“Orion is a clear signal to our adversariesbut also for our European partners, including the Ukrainians,” said Macron at the end of the day. “The Orion exercise allowed us to test the solidity of our approaches and the ability of the Europeans to act together,” he concluded before leaving the maneuvering field in one of the protagonist helicopters.
Spanish soldiers participating in the ORION-26 maneuvers carried out in France / Leticia Fuentes
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