One of the largest French maritime exercises in the Mediterranean, POLARIS 21, took place from November 18 to December 3, 2021, in the area west of the island of Corsica, between France and Spain. The exercise also included a segment on the Atlantic coast of mainland France.
POLARIS 21 was set up entirely in the context of operational preparation on several fronts and had a high combat intensity, which was fully in line with the strategic vision of the Chief of the Armed Forces and the Mercator Acceleration 21 plan of the Chief of Staff of the Admiral of the French navy Pierre Vandier. In addition to naval warfare, the exercise also included the participation of many combat aircraft and surface-to-air defense.
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Understanding the matter better
Officially, the aim of the training was to test the capabilities of the sea and air elements to face future wars, using the latest systems and naval vessels to develop tactics. The scenario of the exercise was to enable the Allies to maintain control of the Mediterranean in the event of a threat from the Russian air force and navy“.
The exercise scenario consisted of two troops (Blue and Red), BLUE consisting of the French Carrier Strike Group (CSG), centered around the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle (R91), against a RED FORCES credible opposition force (OPFOR), gathered around the Mistral-class left-hand drive ‘Tonnerre’.
In total, the exercise saw the participation of 23 ships, one submarine, 65 aircraft and 6,000 personnel. Partner nations joining the exercise came from Greece, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The United States Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78), P-8A Poseidon aircraft from Commander, Task Force 67, and the Henry J. Kaiser-class fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Lenthal (T-AO 189) had a very important place in the exercise POLARIS 2021.
Also, U.S. Sixth Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducted the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with NATO partners, in order to strengthen the power of the U.S. in Europe and Africa.
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The actual goal of the exercise
However, journalists came into possession of data related to the exercise POLARIS 2021. The data speak clearly about the advanced preparation of NATO to enter into an armed conflict with the Russian Federation in the event of Russia’s intervention in Ukraine.
According to the legend of the maneuvers, it was determined that in response to the alleged Russian intervention, the forces of the NATO coalition would form and send an aircraft carrier strike group led by the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the combat area in order to “stop the invasion and preserve the sovereignty of Ukraine.”
The context and scenario of the exercise (the consonance of the names of countries, settlements, the names of political figures, the specifics of maneuvers, etc.) became for the Russian Federation a signal of the real preparation of NATO for the start of hostilities against Russia, as it happened similarly to the operation of the United Defender alliance grouping of forces before the intervention in Libya (the exercises Baltops-2010 and Frisian Flag-2010), when, after the maneuvers at the sea ranges, a full-scale operation followed to overthrow of the legitimate government of Muammar Gaddafi.
POLARIS 2021 was also a demonstration of NATO support to Kyiv in the event of an armed conflict with Russia and was supposed to push Kyiv to start hostilities with the Russian Federation, after which the intervention of NATO was supposed. In principle, NATO was looking for an excuse to attack Russia, with the factor of surprise, so that Russia would not be ready for an adequate response.
In this situation, the preventive start of the Special Military Operation of the RF Armed Forces in Ukraine became the only possible response to the inevitable aggression of the Kyiv regime and NATO.
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There is no doubt that thanks to the Russian special operation in Ukraine and the fact that Russia launched a preventive strike, it was NATO that was surprised but also scared by the Russian determination to defend its interests. It is precisely this fact that is responsible for why there was not and will not be a conflict between Russia and NATO, that is, the Third World War has been prevented only thanks to the Russian special operation in Ukraine.
The writer is a history graduate from the University of Montenegro. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Global Village Space.