The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, along with its escort, has commenced a deployment in the North Atlantic and Baltic Sea, as announced by the Ministry of Armed Forces on Friday, February 20th. Having departed Toulon on January 27th and participated in the "Orion 26" exercise, the vessel is now continuing its "Lafayette 26" mission in the North Atlantic before heading to the Mediterranean. A notable stop includes Malmö, Sweden, on February 25th, marking a first according to the Swedish Ministry of Defence. The French carrier strike group will engage in NATO's Baltic Sentry mission to deter threats to underwater infrastructure, suspected to be orchestrated by Moscow, and participate in other NATO exercises like Steadfast Dart, Neptune Strike, and Norway's Cold Response. This deployment, planned in advance, coincides with NATO's "Arctic Sentry" mission to enhance Arctic security, particularly in response to Russian submarine activity and geopolitical shifts.