Naval Confrontation and its elements
As discussed at the Paris Naval Conference 2026
Opening remarks
The Paris Naval Conference 2026 opened with remarks by Vice-Admiral and Vice Chief of Staff of the Navy Alban Lapointe. After briefly commenting on the 400 year legacy of the French Navy, he wondered of its future. In 2030 he states that the navy ought to be comprehensively ready and able to tackle the emerging hybrid environment of warfare, ranging from sustainment both of materiel and personnel to technology. One should be prepared to attack and be attacked, an objective which necessitates a whole-of-stakeholders approach to the discussion. Looking into 2040, the Vice-Admiral conceded that indeed the period of crisis we are living in today might have subsided without open confrontation, nonetheless by this decade the Navy will face another challenge, that of renewing its fleet and systems. His remarks concluded with the wish of leaving the conference with real questions and less unstructured doubts.
There followed a topical discussion on the issue of high-end naval confrontation making a comeback after some decades of hiatus. The panel which tackled this subject was comprised of:
Captain Florian El-Ahdab the commanding officer of the FREMM Languedoc;
Captain Jerome Henry who heads the training division at the Naval Action Force Headquarters of the Marine Nationale and with recent experience in the Red Sea with Houthi attacks;
Captain Bryan McCavour a representative of the Royal Navy and deputy assistant chief of staff for information warfare;
Captain Alexandre Tachon a submariner and coherence officer for submarine forces.
Individual Contributions
To keep the article as streamlined as possible, the remarks of each will be treated in their totality and condensed according to the elements most emphasized.
Captain El-Ahdab, was emphatic in highlighting the intrinsic complexity of naval forces which now more than ever necessitate an increased degree of ordination and synchronization, in order to achieve an efficient fighting force. He warns that although technology is aiding the war-fighter, one should not get complacent and the man in the machine must be nurtured. Although the best tools might be available, the sailor must remain vigilant and capable were the former to be knocked out. To this end, the Captain emphasized augmenting the resilience of centers of gravity, and keeping the man trained and prepared to the extent that one might be going ‘Back to the 80s’. Lastly, he praised the POLARIS exercises for providing just an occasion for the sailors to experience with the least amount of resistance, the reality of high intensity operations in a multi-field and multi-domain (M2MC) scenario.
Captain Henry having experienced battle in the Red Sea comments on the variety of threats that exist along the spectrum, from heavy hitting ballistic missiles to the down low drones. He notes the issue of saturation and cost disparity between the weapon attacking and the interceptor, to this he adds that layers thought of time past, such as low caliber weapons are being reintegrated in the navy. This plays in the high-low mix response which also aims to push back on the saturation threshold. In conclusion commenting on his experience as head of training, he insists that training and simulations need to incorporate and emulate real-life stress factors.
Royal Navy representative Captain McCavour, expanded on his organization’s open transition to a hybrid navy whereupon he is quick to remark, that it was not choice rather the future knocking at the door. Adamantly pledging that, this represents the technological leap of our time much like the breach-loading cannon might have been in another. In his view to wait around for a solution that addresses our challenges to 100% is fruitless and one might as well get on with a solution that gets us to 80%. Putting said system through its paces and learning along the way organically is far more beneficial. As an expert in information warfare he underscores the importance of data, framing it as a strategic military resource as much as oil may be considered so. Emphasis though is placed on the need to curate and share data, beyond the initial effort of gathering it. To address this, nations need to develop a resilient and redundant computing power, able to tackle tasks both at home and in the adversary’s weapon engagement zone. This digital backbone exists in the battlefield also in the shape of uncrewed and autonomous systems. Lastly, answering on the challenges of commanding a hybrid navy in the context of dispersed maritime operations, the captain believes in the power of AI to lessen the burden on human resources.
Captain Tachon builds on the issue of data and translates it to his expertise as a submariner. He argues that the submarine has long existed with the objective of limiting its data emission, a characteristic which appears will hold true for the foreseeable future. Although advances in magnetic anomaly detectors and adaptive processing of ultra-low frequencies are a reality, the initiative remains within the grasps of modern submarines. Commenting on the proliferation of underwater drones, he frames them as lacking the capabilities to be totally decisive in future engagements. In their current iteration they are not fit for dynamic naval warfare, which requires a reserve of energy and speed to be at the right place at the right time. He concedes that they do fulfill a role in limiting an opponent’s option and perhaps with the development of drone carriers their limitations may be overcome.
Final Remarks
The panel discussion was authoritative and highlighted the challenges of naval confrontation in a future where a peer adversary will test any navy sluggish to adapt. The discussion in sum, highlighted the importance of nurturing the resilience and fighting spirit of the sailors while also empowering them with modern technology. Effectively advocating for a careful symbiosis that strengthens readiness.
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