Emmanuel Macron welcomed Thursday the “success” of the vast Orion military exercise, which he attended in eastern France for its conclusion, and which constitutes, according to him, “a clear signal sent both to our allies and to our adversaries”.
Published on: 04/30/2026 - 7:09 p.m. Modified on: 05/01/2026 - 07:33
For Emmanuel Macron, the vast Orion military exercise, which he attended in eastern France for its conclusion on Thursday April 30, constitutes “a clear signal sent both to our allies and to our adversaries”.
This exercise, in which several European countries participated, was launched in February to train the French army and NATO for new high-intensity wars.
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He “showed us the credibility that Europeans have in being able to deploy an operation of this magnitude together. And France in being a framework nation in this context,” declared the President of the Republic in Suippes, in Marne.
“In my view, this is a very clear message sent to our Ukrainian partners, who are waiting for us on this issue, and to all our European brothers in arms,” he added.
During the day, the president notably visited the division command post, responsible for directing the action of all the units launched to reconquer the ground, facing a fictitious enemy.
He also witnessed fire from Caesar cannons, new mortars that have entered service in recent years, and then infantry machine gun fire from a trench.
He was also presented with the most recent Army equipment, permitted by the budgets provided for by the military programming laws of recent years.
“What I saw today is an army which is advancing, which is transforming, which is modernizing, (...) and which is there to respond to the contemporary challenges which are ours,” declared Emmanuel Macron. “And that’s why this exercise is so important, and you can be proud to have contributed to it.”
It helps to make France “a power recognized by its allies, feared by its enemies,” he insisted.
The exercise has taken place in four phases since October, from operational planning to the deployment of coalition troops.
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Around 12,500 soldiers were engaged in this last phase with 1,800 tactical vehicles, 30 helicopters and 800 combat drones. Six other countries participated: Belgium, Italy, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
With AFP
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