Overview
- The carrier rejoined Toulon Saturday, bringing nearly 2,000 sailors home after a 166‑day mission that began on 27 January and was extended by shifting crisis needs.
- French command ordered a rapid redeployment on 3 March from NATO activity in the North to the eastern Mediterranean after drone strikes on Cyprus and the outbreak of wider hostilities involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
- Over the next months the Charles de Gaulle and its air group flew operations in the Black Sea, Iraq, Syria and off Lebanon, supported France’s anti‑terror effort Chammal and carried a freedom‑of‑navigation message to Russia and regional actors.
- The carrier transited the Suez Canal on 6 May to back a Franco‑British push for a multinational effort to protect passage through the Strait of Hormuz, logging about 3,400 carrier landings and more than 5,000 flight hours during the deployment.
- Officers and crew reported extreme temperatures, fatigue and logistical strain from prolonged operations, and France says it will keep a reduced presence in the region with minehunters, frigates and maritime patrol aircraft as diplomatic steps hold.