On mission in the Far North since the beginning of January, FREMM Bretagne continues its deployment with a patrol in the west of Norway then in the Skagerrak , entrance to the strait which connects the North Sea and the Baltic, between Denmark and Norway.
This second phase of Bretagne’s mission was notably an opportunity to carry out training with a P8 maritime patrol aircraft from the Norwegian air forces, always with the same objectives: strengthening ties with our NATO allies in the Greater North, in order to be able to act together in these major aero-maritime spaces for the security of Europe.
Bretagne docked in Oslo on January 30, for a stopover marked by numerous representation activities . After official visits to local authorities, Captain Jean-Michel Pimbert, commanding crew B of the FREMM Bretagne , presided over a commemorative ceremony in tribute to the Norwegian soldiers who fell for the Liberation of France during the Normandy landings in 1944.
Under the snow, the commander and a delegation of the B crew went to the Normandieplassen war memorial, where they were joined by Norwegian sailors and the Oslo port director. A wreath was laid and the sailors present observed a minute of silence. This commemoration will have made it possible to strengthen ties with this country, alongside which France fought in 1940 at Narvik, and which is today as yesterday, due to its strategic position in the Far North and its border area with Russia, at the forefront of Europe and NATO.
This stopover was also devoted to activities supporting the export of future defense and intervention frigates (FDI), as part of a request for information from Norway for the potential renewal of its frigates. Bretagne thus served as a presentation platform for the defense companies Naval Group, MBDA and Thalès, who were able to present, on board, to Norwegian military, industrialists and senior civil servants, the capabilities of the IDF, and more particularly their anti-submarine detection and air defense capabilities. Through a visit to the ship, the Bretagne crew was then able to present these capabilities as they currently exist on the FREMM and their Caiman, in versions which foreshadow the capabilities of the IDF in this area.
During the rest of the stopover, Bretagne opened its doors to students from the French high school in Oslo and to personnel from local military missions. She also had the honor of welcoming on board the French ambassador to Norway.
Bretagne finally cast off this Saturday, February 3 to resume its mission, which will take it to the North Sea and the English Channel, before reaching the Atlantic.