Mallard, who commands France's only carrier battle group, told Politico that the Navy is responding to increased threats and feeling more frequently targeted.

The Navy's posture is changing from a relatively free one to one where it feels threatened more regularly.

The text discusses the shift in focus of naval training for French sailors towards high-intensity warfare due to the increasing likelihood of naval combat.

The French and Italian navies will conduct a joint exercise this spring, simulating a naval battle as part of the "Polaris" program, in response to uninhibited competitors such as Russia and the Houthis of Yemen interfering with Western navies in the Black Sea and Red Sea.

In 2021, the US Navy introduced a new combat simulation to enhance tactical thinking, described as more risky but useful by Admiral Mallard.

He did not specify the anticipated enemy, but clarified it was not the People's Liberation Army Navy.

Mallard mentioned French territories in the Indian Ocean, La Réunion and Mayotte, as conditions for not designating China as the primary adversary.