The aircraft carrier “Charles de Gaulle” and its accompanying train (archive photo).Image: Marine Nationale
The current route of the only French aircraft carrier can be precisely tracked on a fitness app. The military now wants to “take action”.
Mar 21, 2026, 2:56 p.mMar 21, 2026, 2:56 p.m
Charlotta Siemer / t-online
A French Navy officer has gone jogging on the deck of the ship on which he is stationed, revealing the exact location of his naval unit in the Mediterranean. Using the sports app Strava, the route of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle can be precisely tracked through the young officer’s jogging activities, reports the French newspaper “Le Monde”.
While the presence of the French Navy in the region between Cyprus and the Turkish coast is no secret, the timely publication of the exact position of the naval group around the Charles de Gaulle could still be unwise and possibly dangerous in view of the war in the Middle East. At least two French military bases in the region have been attacked by Iran in recent weeks.
How incompetent is the French military?
A sailor on Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier just revealed its location by using a fitness tracker (Strava) while jogging on the ship’s deck
Source: Le Monde pic.twitter.com/uP9vuYeWDl
—Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) March 19, 2026
According to “Le Monde”, Arthur is not the only sailor who is active on Strava and whose sports activities make it possible to publicly track the locations of other ships. Some profiles also show photos of the deck, of other military personnel and of sports equipment inside the ships.
The General Staff of the French Armed Forces told Le Monde that the publication of running routes in the Strava app “does not comply with current regulations”. “Digital hygiene for combat soldiers” is a “prerequisite for every mission”. The General Staff therefore assured that “appropriate measures will be taken by the command”.
French President Emmanuel Macron ordered the deployment of the only French aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle, at the beginning of March – just a few days after the start of the US-Israeli war in the Middle East. He is accompanied by at least three frigates and a supply carrier.