The idea of creating a specific forum for the mountain troops ecosystem came from the following three-fold observation:
- The reality of a new phase of “geostrategic shift” underway, with symmetrical conflict in Central Europe and combat in extreme-cold zones back at the heart of military concerns.
- The need to better equip mountain troops and strengthen synergies within an international community that is already very dynamic through multinational exercises and NATO centers of excellence (the Cold Weather Operations COE in Norway and the Mountain Warfare COE in Slovenia).
- The imperative to disseminate the cold warfare skills of these elite troops throughout the armed forces in general.
Adapting to the current geostrategic shift
For General (Ret.) Beaudouin, the current period constitutes “a phase of geostrategic shift every bit as important as the fall of the Berlin Wall”. The return of symmetrical conflicts to the heart of Europe has brutally revealed the consequences of expeditionary operations, which “for thirty years have shaped our armed forces” according to a reduced model under the impact of budget shortages and the prevalence of a certain ‘operational comfort’ due to France’s long-term involvement in highly asymmetrical conflicts (with, for instance, the drastic loss of ground-air defense capability unused for thirty years)”.
From his point of view, the turning point that lies ahead for the French army is just as major and even more difficult than the one the latter faced in the early 1990s, when the Rapid Action Force model prevailed over that of a mechanized armored corps armed by the contingent (except that the Army model of the time was then complete, unlike the current one).
“This transition lasted ten years, and here we are again in a similar situation, where we’ve forgotten the typical Central European bogging down that was so familiar during the Cold War…”, recalls the former commander of the very first Leclerc tank squadron in 1993.
As the Russian-European borders and the Arctic have become major areas of confrontation, rearmament and a need to “re-acculturate the armed forces”, but also the defense industry as a whole, to this type of high-end cold warfare are the order of the day.
Mobility in extreme environments, as well as the need to reheat equipment (all the more important because of the growing presence of electronics), equip men and take into account the treatment and evacuation of mass casualties in extreme cold, are all challenges that the military experienced during the Cold War, and to some extent during the Balkan War. Once again, they must be addressed in the new context of digitization and force modernization, essential to take into account a number of capability gaps. after thirty years of budget underfunding and successive downsizing of the armed forces.
For General (2S) Beaudouin, “ beyond the massive and very rapid injection of drones at all levels, beyond very short range ground-based air defense, long-range surface to surface artillery, and, of course, crucial military engineering means, it is necessary to have, in the next five years, the ability to cope with symmetrical warfare below the nuclear threshold (and for that matter, one may have to sacrifice, for a time, mid-to-long-term studies and developments to favor short-term off-the-shelf acquisitions). It is therefore necessary to rethink fundamentally our military posture, as wheeled vehicles are reaching their limits in terms of mass and, as a result, in terms of their tactical mobility and protection ”.
Recent lessons learned from operations in Romania show that many of our armored and logistical vehicles are prone to bogging down and are not designed to absorb the frontal impact of a symmetrical war scenario, as a result of the long-lasting shift towards asymmetrical conflict which took place in the 1990’s, 2000’s and 2010’s and affected military requirements as well as mindsets. “The successor of the French armored infantry fighting vehicle VBCI [for “véhicule blindé de combat d’infanterie] will be tracked ”, he predicts, adding:
“In fact, the Army command’s backbone for high intensity warfare relies primarily on four weapon systems – the Leclerc, VBCI, Tigre and Caesar – with reserves for attrition quasi-inexistent when compared to the losses of this type of conflict…”
This event is therefore “intended not only to contribute to the enhancement of mountain troops, but also to bring about a change in mentality” necessary to be ready to face Arctic and continental threats in the middle of this new half-century, without excluding anything.
Better answering the needs of mountain troops
« Just like the Special Forces, which already have their own military shows in France, but also in other countries such as the USA and Jordan, the Mountain Troops are elite troops in which fighters and equipment reach the limits of what is possible. Operating in extreme environments – the extreme cold, but also sometimes extreme heat – is a feat in itself, even before we talk about combat, but what is complicated in operations becomes even more complicated in the extreme cold and in mountainous environments ”, recalls General (2S) Beaudouin, who underlines the particularly high physical shape of “Alpins subjected to the natural hardening of the mountains”, but also the unrivalled level of stress for both men and equipment.
The ability of complete units integrating melee troops (infantry and cavalry), support troops (engineers and artillery) and support troops (train and trans) to last in the extreme cold calls for particularly reliable and resilient resources in a number of key areas, in particular:
- Mobility, whether on land (tracked vehicles, tire grip in extreme environments, extreme-cold restarts, heating, etc.) or in the air (over-powered engines).
- Energy, whose needs have increased tenfold, not only because of altitude and temperature, but also because of the increased digitization of all forces today.
- Connectivity, which requires special satellite-based resources to overcome highly isolated environments.
- Logistics (in particular caterpillar logistics), which are essential for supplies – in particular spare parts and ammunition – but also for health support and, more specifically, the evacuation of the wounded in the event of heavy losses in mountainous areas – an imperative “ that we don’t currently know how to respond to ”, as General (2S) Beaudouin points out, wishing to put health support, too often neglected, back at the heart of the debate: “ The anticipation of mass evacuations, but also of complex medical procedures at -30 degrees or specific heating points, is part of the thinking to be done, because we know that the cold alone threatens the life expectancy of any injured person ”, he stresses.
The program of conferences and workshops scheduled for these two days of exchange will address these central themes: on the subject of mobility, there will be two conferences on “ Modern warfare in the mountains” and “Motorized mobility in the mountains”, as well as workshops on “Reducing the thermal footprint”, “Developments in high-mobility vehicles in the mountains between now and 2030”, and “Light motorized mobility”. On the energy front, a workshop entitled “ Energy autonomy at altitude ” is dedicated to this growing challenge. Support and logistics issues will be addressed in the “ Modern warfare in the extreme cold ” and “ Logistics in the extreme cold” conferences, as well as in the “Medical Care in mountainous and cold environments”, “Maintenance in the mountains and extreme cold ” and “ High-capacity lifting winches” workshops. The issue of connectivity will be addressed in the workshop entitled “ Light and portable transmissions”, but also through the more general issue of “the use of drones in the mountains” (with a dedicated eponymous conference and two workshops entitled “Embedded AI in drones” and “Drone FPV RACER ”)
Mountain troops, the “tungsten tip” of the extreme-cold environment
A former cavalry officer, General (Ret.) Beaudouin believes that mountain troops are the spearhead – or, to use the expression used in tanks, the “tungsten tip ” – of the transformation that needs to be carried out today within conventional forces, which need to be re-equipped and benefit from the dissemination of the triple expertise of French mountain troops, namely extreme cold, but also mountains in cold zones and mountains in hot zones.
One of the particularities of French mountain troops is their ability to be deployed in different theaters of operation (as was the case in the Balkans, but also in Africa and Afghanistan), as well as their regular participation in various multinational exercises within the NATO framework.
The 27th BIM has developed some twenty international partnerships, not only with its Alpine neighbors (Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy) and European neighbors (Spain, Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Georgia, etc.), but also with allied countries interested in the mountain environment, such as the United States and Canada, as well as Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. Many of these “subscriber” countries have already expressed their wish to send a delegation to the Grenoble Summit.
International cooperation, but also joint (with in particular the participation of the mountain gendarmerie) and transverse due to the civil-military duality characteristic of the mountain environment: “a lot of the equipment used by mountain troops comes from the civilian world, whether it is skis, tents or snowmobiles for example ”, reminds the President of the COGES.
It is precisely because of this dual specificity that “the decision was taken to hold the SITM in Grenoble, within the particularly dynamic ecosystem of the Rhône-Alpes region and home to the Brigade, whose headquarters and two regiments are located in Varces, ten kilometers away from the Alps’ capital ”.
With more than 1,000 participants, numerous international delegations, many high-level French military authorities, and more than 75 exhibitors spread over 1,500 m2, this very first edition of the SITM aims to forge a “ place for reflection that goes beyond a niche expertise, where experts and official delegations will be able to exchange ideas directly and in a particularly qualitative way ”.
Open to professional and qualified visitors, the SITM is “The Place To Be ” on February 12th and 13th for all those wishing to take part in the debate on combat in extreme environments – mountains and extreme cold – and to join this emerging community in a convivial setting featuring a renowned mountain spirit…
By Murielle Delaporte