This former Vernon quarry is home to the secret headquarters of the French Army’s communications system

2024-10-03 07:53:22

Although it extends over 130 hectares, the military site of the Mortagne camp, located in Vernon (Eure), remains discreet. And it took last week’s visit by the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, passing through his European lands shortly after his confirmation in the new government, to put him in the spotlight.

“We have always had to compromise between the discretion imposed by such an infrastructure and the desire to explain our missions, especially to the local population,” smiles Colonel Geribaldi, chief of staff of the Joint Directorate of Network Infrastructure and Information Systems (Dirisi), one of whose teams, made up of nine technicians, is stationed in the heart of this former quarry used until 1929.

On the front line during operations Pegasus and Sagittarius

The site, shielded from view by a vast forest, has been dedicated to Defense communications since the 1950s. As a tribute to history, it was requisitioned by German forces in 1943 to house… a secondary communications post for Marshal Rommel.

The mission of these specialists? Provide high frequency transmissions for armed forces, particularly when deployed around the world. “This occurred in particular during the Pégase mission in the Pacific or in 2023, in Sudan, during the Sagittarius operation to exfiltrate the French citizens present,” explains Colonel Geribaldi. For this purpose, 31 antennas with different functions and a transmitting building are installed in the Mortagne field.

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A vast modernization project of the Mortagne camp, started in 2017 for a budget of 50 million euros, has just been completed. In particular, the aim was to secure the site to avoid intrusions into the heart of this essential system for the armed forces. The Army took the opportunity to improve its equipment, making it one of the best-equipped high-frequency transmission centers in Europe. “Communication is a strategic issue, both in times of peace and in times of war. Threats evolve together with technologies, underlines Chief of Staff Geribaldi. It is therefore essential to have an efficient and safe tool for our troops and for our entire defense system. »