French Navy to operate up to 6000 M depth in preparation for ‘Seabed Warfare’

The French Ministry of Defense has put forth a strategy aimed at broadening the capabilities of anticipation and action of the French Navy up to 6,000 m depth.

The French Navy already has mine warfare and hydro-oceanography capabilities contributing to the control of the seabed. But to expand its investigation and action capacities down to 6,000 meters deep, France is going to equip itself with deep-sea exploratory military capacities, made up of underwater drones (AUV – Autonomous underwater vehicle ) and robots ( ROV – Remotely operated vehicle ).

Maritime areas are governed by a body of international standards, foremost of which is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This text stipulates that the rights of States diminish as one moves away from the coast. In recent years, some States have however developed extensive interpretations of the convention, for the purpose of appropriating resources (mining, biological or fossil) or maritime areas with regard to the geopolitical situation of the area.