Feature: MASA Group supports major French exercise, reveals SWORD improvements

The outline of Exercise ‘Orion 26' showing its three main phases. (French Army/Giles Ebbutt)

In early 2026, the French Armed Forces will undertake their biggest joint exercise yet, with the three-phase Exercise ‘Orion 26' taking place from February to April. It will include a corps-level computer-assisted exercise (CAX) phase using MASA Group's SWORD constructive simulation, which is known as SOULT in French service. This will be the first time that the simulation, which was designed for use at brigade level and below, has been used to support divisional- and corps-level staff training. The French Rapid Reaction Corps (RRC-Fr) is the corps headquarters (HQ) involved.

Speaking at the SWORD User Group meeting held at the French Army Commandement de la Force et des Opérations Terrestres (Land Force and Operations Command: CFoT) in Lille on January 13–14, Colonel Jean Fenon, head of the Command Post Training and Control Centre exercise design team, explained that the exercise will reflect the multidomain battle including activity in the air, land, maritime, cyberspace, and space domains. The scenario, using fictitious countries but reflecting the Baltic region, is based on a NATO Article 5 response to an offensive from a hostile neighbour necessitating the deployment of NATO's Multi Corps Land Component Command (MC-LCC).

The exercise will begin in February 2026 with a joint live exercise (LIVEX) held in western France and off the coast, involving maritime, amphibious, and airborne operations. This will be followed by a two-week corps-level CAX focusing on land operations, which will then transition to a divisional-level land LIVEX in the Mailly-le-Camp training area in the Champagne region of eastern France. The overall scheme of manoeuvre will reflect defensive and blocking operations followed by a multi-corps counter-attack.