In late November and early December 2021, a large French-led joint maritime exercise Polaris 21 took place in the Mediterranean Sea. This multi-national, combined and inter-theatre exercise involved around 6,000 French troops from the French Army, Navy and Air Force, including legionnaires from the 13th Foreign Legion Half Brigade (13e DBLE), the only infantry elements taking part in the exercise.
Polaris 21, the largest French military exercise of the year, occurred between November 18 and December 3, 2021, in the western Mediterranean and on the Atlantic coast of metropolitan France. The exercise was joined by U.S., U.K., Italian, Greek, and Spanish maritime forces to “develop high-end carrier strike group-level warfighting interoperability and proficiency among the NATO allies.”
A nuclear-power aircraft carrier, 13 surface combatants including 5 foreign vessels, 1 nuclear-powered attack submarine, 6 patrol vessels, 3 supply vessels, 3 flag admirals and their staff, naval special forces units, and mine warfare units participated, as well as the French helicopter carrier Tonnerre with 13e DBLE legionnaires on board. The latter – men of the half-brigade’s 1st Company equipped with VAB – acted as an amphibious embarked task force (GTE) to land on the French coast.
13e DBLE legionnaires during Exercise Polaris 21:
Exercise Polaris 21 (legionnaires seen at 0:33-0:42)
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