- 'Shattered' Germany set sights on World Cup after Euros exit
- Olympic hope Pedersen pulls out of Tour de France
- Djokovic eyes sweet 16 at Wimbledon as Swiatek takes on 'gangster'
- End beckons again for Ronaldo after Portugal Euros KO
- New Zealand edge England 16-15 in tense, brutal first Test
- Turkey take on Dutch in politically charged Euros quarter-final, England face Swiss
- Calling for better ties with West, Iran reformist wins presidency
- Cybercrime groups restructuring after major takedowns: experts
- Activists hail Sierra Leone child marriage ban, urge action on FGM
- Marsch relishing Canada's semi clash with Argentina
- Canada stun Venezuela on penalties to reach Copa semis
- Iran reformist Pezeshkian holds early lead in runoff vote
- Swiatek faces 'gangster' threat, Djokovic feels need for Wimbledon speed
- France holds its breath ahead of uncertain vote
- Starmer begins UK 'rebuild' after landslide election win
- Paris's Moulin Rouge inaugurates new windmill sails ahead of Olympics
- Pan, Rai share halfway lead in PGA John Deere Classic
- 'I was feeling terrible' in debate, Biden says in TV interview
- France coach Deschamps savours ending penalty hoodoo, defends Mbappe
- Thompson bids farewell to Warriors after exit
- Portugal exit Euros with pride, will return stronger: Martinez
- UK's new PM Starmer speaks to world leaders, names top team
- Spain and France to face off in Euros last four, Turkey lament 'unfair' Demiral ban
- Israel says negotiators to hold fresh Gaza truce talks next week
- France beat Portugal on penalties to reach Euro 2024 semi-finals
- Endrick to start for Brazil in Uruguay Copa clash: Dorival
- Heartbreak for Germany fans after dramatic Euros exit
- Beryl heads for Texas after causing damage, no deaths in Mexico
- Nagelsmann laments late penalty decision as hosts Germany exit Euros
- Biden declares he's all in ahead of high-risk TV interview
- Spain team 'is a winning horse', says De la Fuente
- Bows at the ready, Chad villagers battle kidnappings
- Alcaraz mimics Bellingham goal celebration after Wimbledon win
- Olmo hopes Pedri can make speedy return for Euros semi-finalists Spain
- Retiring Kroos hopeful despite Germany's 'bitter' Euros exit
- Southgate turns on English 'entitlement' over claims of easy Euros draw
- Merino extra-time goal sends Spain past Germany to Euro semis
- Koeman demands Dutch silence fervent Turkish fans at Euros
- Brad Pitt at Silverstone for filming of F1 movie
- Raducanu storms into Wimbledon last 16
- California fires spread in July 4 weekend heatwave
- Alcaraz wins five-set Wimbledon thriller as Gauff eases through
- Demiral Euros ban 'unfair' but Turkish pride will grow, says coach Montella
- Gauff overpowers qualifier to reach Wimbledon fourth round
- Vinales sets German MotoGP lap record as Marquez goes flying
- Hurricane Beryl causes havoc in Mexico
- Rwanda-backed rebels, DRC begin two-week 'humanitarian truce'
- Schar keen to show Swiss class against England at Euros
- Sun breaks through for New Zealand at Wimbledon
- Alcaraz dodges bullet to beat Tiafoe in Wimbledon five-set thriller
French sailors in Normandy jump from D-Day to drones
Sergeant Artur felt "great pride" to storm ashore on Omaha Beach Tuesday alongside American troops in an exercise ahead of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, as his French marine infantry practise with the latest technology for modern conflicts.
"It's quite symbolic, as marines we're the successors of the 177 men of the first marine commando battalion," added Artur, who gave only his first name under French military rules for speaking to the media.
But while the military honours the only French unit to make landfall on June 6, 1944, in the first step to liberating their country from Nazi occupation, current conflicts like Russia's invasion of Ukraine are also on their minds.
"This is a commemoration, but it's also a training exercise alongside our allies that allows us to plan and prepare together," said Major Johann.
He is in charge of planning landing operations from the vast below-decks command centre on the French amphibious assault ship Mistral, holding station off the Normandy coast.
"France is lucky to be one of the only countries to have this capability, not many countries can these days," Johann noted.
"We'll never reproduce the Second World War model" when more than 150,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy, he added.
"But we work with the resources we have now... being able to train alongside our allies brings us the mass that we're currently missing."
- 'Ship always ready' -
NATO soldiers are already thinking about how to adapt to the changes to modern battlefields on show in Ukraine, like the intense use of drones making it near-impossible to hide major troop movements.
"We're trying to make combat faster and more fluid, avoiding concentrating our forces in one landing spot but rather spreading them out, so as to reunite on an objective further inland later on," Johann said.
Artur, who leads "10 or so" of the soldiers who embark onto grey landing craft from the floating dock in the Mistral's lower decks, has "many more operators trained to use drones" small enough to fit in a backpack.
"We use them on every mission, whether it's fighting the drugs trade, to see what's going on on a ship before sending anyone aboard, and of course for scouting out beaches, to see if there's danger," the 26-year-old sergeant said.
Two sleek helicopter drones weighing 150 kilograms (330 pounds) each are also tucked into the Mistral's echoing hangar deck alongside far larger piloted transport and attack aircraft.
"They're useful for expanding the sensor 'bubble' around the ship," said the vessel's commander Captain Olivier Roussille.
But his main task remains "being able to deploy a combat company or even a brigade" from his 200-metre (670-foot), 22,000-tonne ship to shore.
In Normandy, the Mistral's job goes beyond memorial ceremonies and training, as its crew keep the proceedings and visiting dignitaries -- including French President Emmanuel Macron, US leader Joe Biden and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky -- safe.
"Whatever's going on, a military ship is always ready," Roussille said, casting his eyes over the bridge with its constantly updating radar screens overlooking the flight deck loaded with Tiger attack helicopters.
X.M.Francisco--PC