敏感时刻，法军核航母最新动向意外泄露

According to a report by the French newspaper "Le Monde" on March 19, during a sensitive period when the "Charles de Gaulle" aircraft carrier strike group was heading to the Middle East, a French military personnel accidentally leaked the fleet's location in the Mediterranean due to the use of a fitness application (APP).

The French media displays the leaked location information of the "Charles de Gaulle" aircraft carrier strike group. Source: French media

The report states that on March 13 at 10:35 AM, a French Navy personnel with the ID "Arthyr" was jogging on the ship's deck using the fitness software Strava. He ran over 7 kilometers in about 35 minutes, and the software automatically recorded and uploaded this exercise data to the internet. Since his account was set to public, anyone could view it. "Le Monde" confirmed that at that time, the "Charles de Gaulle" aircraft carrier and its escort vessels were located northwest of Cyprus, approximately 100 kilometers from the Turkish coast.

The aircraft carrier strike group includes at least the "Charles de Gaulle" aircraft carrier, three frigates, and a supply ship. After several days of conflict between Israel, the United States, and Iran, French President Macron announced on March 3 the deployment of the fleet. At that time, the "Charles de Gaulle" was participating in NATO exercises in the Baltic Sea, originally scheduled to remain until May.

The French media pointed out that by analyzing "Arthyr's" Strava historical data, the recent movements of the aircraft carrier strike group could be tracked. For example, on February 14, jogging records showed he was off the coast of the Cotentin Peninsula in France; on February 26 and 27, location data indicated that this military personnel had disembarked in Copenhagen, Denmark, while the aircraft carrier was docked in Malmö, Sweden; and the position on March 13 was northwest of Cyprus. The report stated that this information was later confirmed by satellite imagery from the "Charles de Gaulle."

"Le Monde" also discovered that at least one other French Navy personnel's exercise data contained location information, and his account even included photos showing the ship's deck and internal facilities.

The French General Staff responded by stating that the publication of exercise data "does not comply with current regulations" and indicated that "the command will take appropriate measures."

The report mentioned that similar incidents had occurred before. In January 2025, crew members of a French nuclear submarine leaked patrol information through the Strava fitness APP. The French military at that time acknowledged that this was due to "human error," but stated that it did not affect military operations.

"Le Monde" stated that in the current context of conflict in the Middle East, the public disclosure of the aircraft carrier's precise location could pose security risks. The report noted that at least two French military bases in the Middle East had been attacked recently, and one French soldier was killed in a drone strike in northern Iraq.