FRANCE: Operations, situation update, 30 March to 5 April 2018

FRANCE: Department of Defense ^ | 11/04/2018 | Army Staff

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Operations, situation update,

Update : 11/04/2018

Read this week's update on operations.

Armed Forces of French Guiana (FAG)

CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF VISITS ARMED FORCES OF FRENCH GUIANA

France's Chief of Defence Staff, General Lecointre, completed his trip to French Guiana this week.

During his visit, the General visited the 9th Marine Infantry Regiment (9th RIMa) and the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3rd REI), Air Base 367, and went aboard Guyanese light patrol vessel La Confiance.

He also went to Saint-Elie Lake to meet sappers of the Engineers Regiment involved in Operation Harpie as they worked on dismantling primary gold-mining sites.

OPERATION TITAN: 10 YEARS ON

General Lecointre's visit coincided with the tenth anniversary of Operation Titan to protect the Guiana Space Centre. The operation was named Titan on 30 April 2008, after Titanus Giganteus, the largest known beetle in the world, and which is native to French Guiana.

In fact, the operation to secure the centre actually pre-dates this name, since it started on 24 December 1979, the date on which Ariane 1 was first launched.

A joint forces operation

In addition to regular ongoing patrols, land, air and naval forces are systematically deployed for every launch stage, when the launch vehicle is especially at risk.

Land component

Land-based protection of the launch site is primarily the job of the 3rd REI legionnaires. Since October 2011, when the land protection zone was enlarged for the Soyouz launch vehicle's first take-off from Guiana, the 9th RIMa has also been deployed to protect the site.

Air component

The military control centre is responsible for constant air space surveillance to ensure safety and security in the skies above the space centre.

Military air protection at the space centre has to deal with all sorts of threats and be ready to intercept, divert, or even shoot down any intruding aircraft. To this end, the FAG have ground-based air defence capabilities and intervention aircraft including Puma and Fennec helicopters. They can also deploy Mirage 2000s if necessary.

Naval component

For every launch, a maritime exclusion zone is ordered and monitored by a coastal patrol vessel for sea surveillance (VCSM) and a Guyanese light patrol vessel (PLG).

Operation TITAN in figures

Since 2014, 10 to 12 rockets have been launched every year from French Guiana. That translates into an equal number of TITAN missions, accounting for 50 to 60 days on deployment a year for the navy, air force, infantry and French Foreign Legion personnel involved in this operation, in addition to their regular duties countering illegal gold mining and fishing in the region.

FIGHTING ILLEGAL GOLD MINING

2018: encouraging results in tackling illegal gold mining

Operations in 2017 were affected by social unrest in French Guiana and Hurricane Irma in the French Antilles, both of which meant that some of the Armed Forces in French Guiana were redeployed away from their regular operations tackling illegal gold mining.

The FAG are now fully engaged in these operations, achieving significantly better results than over the same period last year.

Since the beginning of the year, 448 patrols have led to the seizure or destruction of 1,207 "carbet" huts, 41 quads, 95 motor-driven pumps, and 126 generator sets. In operations since the beginning of March, 25 mine shafts have also been destroyed.

Total criminal assets worth 4.5 million euros have been seized since the beginning of 2018, an increase of 54% compared to the value of assets seized over the same period and for the same length of time in 2016, a year in which exceptional results were achieved.

The number of active mining sites has significantly fallen since the end of last year, with 478 sites active now, compared to 623 at the end of 2017.

Thanks to greater commitment and improved coordination between government departments

These results are highly encouraging and have been achieved thanks to a significant increase in the contribution made by all the government departments involved in tackling illegal gold mining.

The presence of sworn officials from the departments in question, who alone have the authority to order the seizure or destruction of illegal miners' equipment, has been a determining factor in that it has made the patrols carried out by the Armed Forces of French Guiana more effective. Since the beginning of the year, nearly 70% of the patrols conducted by the FAG have been carried out jointly with a sworn government official. The other 30% have mainly been intelligence-gathering patrols.

For the FAG, the commitment rate has also been increased compared to last year, with the last two months seeing up to 513 infantrymen and legionnaires engaged in operations to stop illegal gold mining, compared to 310 in 2017.

CHAMMAL

MILITARY SITUATION IN THE THEATRE

Operations continue across the Iraq-Syria theatre, with the same objectives in sight: defeating the last remaining pockets of terrorists in Syria, and strengthening security in Iraq.

Fighting continues in Syria

In the Euphrates Valley, in Syria, the Coalition continues to provide support to the Syrian Democratic Forces in their combat against ISIL. The Syrian Democratic Forces are focused on quashing the last two pockets of ISIL fighters remaining along the east bank of the Euphrates, around Dashisha and Al-Qa'im.

East of the Euphrates, the situation has remained more or less stable in the last week.

Operations to secure territory in Iraq continue

In Iraq, the Iraqi Security Forces are maintaining large-scale and effective security operations across the country.

Carrying out operations to secure territory on a regular basis, they have achieved significant results, making frequent seizures of large amounts of weapons and munitions from ISIL.

FORCE ACTIVITIES

The Monsabert and Narvik Task Forces continue to provide training for the Iraqi Security Forces

In Iraq, training courses are still being held at an intense pace, aiming to make the Iraqi Armed Forces as autonomous as possible. The Monsabert and Narvik Task Forces are actively and directly involved in this training.

They are currently holding a number of courses, for nearly 300 soldiers belonging to the Iraqi Security Forces, including training in how to deal with improvised explosive devices.

The Wagram and Monsabert Task Forces providing support for the ramp up of Iraqi artillery capabilities

Training instructors from the Wagram and Monsabert Task Forces played an active role in a conference held this week on the future of Iraqi artillery forces.

The one-day conference was chaired by General Hushem, Commander of the Iraqi Artillery School.

One outcome of the meeting is that a "pilot" training programme will shortly be led by the two French task forces, which will include a theoretical module as well as a firing sequence and practice using Iraqi guns.

Wagram Task Force supporting operations to secure territory

The Wagram Task Force continues to provide support for operations conducted by the Iraqi Security Forces to secure areas in the Euphrates Valley. Four fire missions (two illumination fire missions and two interdiction fire missions) were carried out in the week from 28 March to 3 April.

Since first being deployed to the theatre, the Wagram TF has carried out 1,643 fire missions.

Support for operations from air bases in Jordan and the UAE

The French Air Force units deployed on Operation Chammal are focusing on providing support to the Syrian Democratic Forces engaged in the Euphrates Valley to quash the two remaining pockets of ISIL militants in Syria.

French aircraft deployed as part of Operation Chammal carried out 23 air sorties this week to support local forces engaged on the ground (week from 28 March to 3 April). No air strikes were made.

Total air operations since 19 September 2014:

7,942 sorties / 1,448 air strikes / 2,238 targets destroyed.

BARKHANE

SITUATION REPORT

Political situation

The major event last week was the signing of a new roadmap between the Malian government and the armed groups that have signed the Algiers Accord. The new roadmap covers 21 points, including the reinforcement of the Joint Operational Mechanism (JOM), mainly in Gao, and progress in the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) process.

Security situation

No major security incident occurred in Northern Mali last week.

In Central Mali however, a number of security incidents took place in the last few days, most of them targeting civilians. A school and the town hall in Dionna, in the Mopti region, were attacked and set on fire by six terrorists. At the same time, two civilian vehicles were hit by improvised explosive devices, leaving two dead and two people injured.

FORCE ACTIVITIES

Barkhane units conduct raid north of Timbuktu

During the night of 29 to 30 March, the Barkhane Force carried out an opportunistic operation against an armed terrorist group. This operation, held around 120 km north of Timbuktu, resulted in putting three terrorists out of action. Initial intelligence suggests that they were members of the al-Furqan brigade and that one of the terrorists put out of action may have been one of its leaders.

Clash between Barkhane force and an armed terrorist group in the three borders region

On 1 April, in the Akabar region, a Barkhane parachute commando unit operating in liaison with the Niger Armed Forces, alongside units from the Malian Armed Forces and members of a local self-defence unit, clashed with an armed terrorist group made up of around sixty militants on motorbikes.

The incident occurred around 90 km south of Ménaka, 3 km south of the border between Mali and Niger.

The Barkhane Force immediately deployed air support, a Gazelle helicopter reconnaissance patrol and a Mirage 2000 patrol.

The patrols were rapidly deployed to support and gather intelligence for the troops on the ground, leading to significant losses for the terrorists.

The parachute commandos and their partners were able to exfiltrate, after neutralising around thirty of the terrorists (estimated number).

The next day, the Barkhane units carried out reconnaissance in the area, enabling them to verify the number of dead and pursue those terrorists who had fled.

Operations in the three borders region continue...

At the same time, the Barkhane Force has been continuing its deployment in the three borders region, alongside the Malian Armed Forces and coordinating with the Niger Armed Forces.

Area control operations have focused on the areas around Ménaka and In-Delimane, as well as along the border between Mali and Niger.

… while continuing to provide aid to local people

On 28 March, technicians belonging to the Barkhane Force's energy detachment helped restore one of the two electrical power plants in Ménaka.

While carrying out the repair works, employees at the plant were given training in facility maintenance.

Now fully operational, the power plant, which supplies a quarter of the city's electricity, is once again able to supply electricity to homes in Ménaka.

Reaper drones notch up 20,000 flight hours in the SSS

Last week, the Reaper drone detachment deployed on Operation Barkhane passed the symbolic total of 20,000 flight hours.

Stationed at the Forward Operational Base in Niamey since the launch of Operation Serval in January 2013, there are 25 airmen in the drone detachment operating 5 Reaper drones, which have replaced the Harfang drones first deployed. The detachment is operational 24/7, and is systematically involved in every stage of an operation, including initial intelligence gathering, coordinating the actions of the end-effectors during an engagement, and assessing results.

Air sorties this week (from 28 March to 3 April inclusive)

40 fighter sorties / 25 ISR and refuelling sorties / 44 transport sorties.

Total: 109 sorties (compared to 90 last week).

Sources: EMA French Defense Staff Rights: French Ministry of Defense

Sources : État-major des armées [Army Staff] Rights : Ministère de la Défense [Department of Defense]