Paris Naval Conference 2024: The Evolving Role of the Carrier Strike Group Hybrid conference

This second edition of the Paris Naval Conference, bringing together high-level speakers from France, the UK, the USA, Italy and India, and organized by Ifri and the French Navy, aims to redefine the role of CSGs in a changing strategic context, particularly in terms of the future threats it faces.

Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs) are the flagship of the world's leading navies and their role has evolved significantly in recent years.

Built around an aircraft carrier accompanied by surface ships, submarines and embarked aircraft, a CSG offers unrivalled power projection capability, enabling a state to defend its interests on the international stage. However, they can be costly and vulnerable to certain attacks, which paradoxically reinforces their role in strategic signalling and diplomacy.

This second edition of the Paris Naval Conference will also be the occasion to promote original research on this topic through the organization of the Admiral Castex Prize.

The detailed program is available on the brochure at the following link.

PROGRAM

11 a.m. - 11.15 a.m.: Opening remarks by Thomas Gomart, Director of Ifri, and General Thierry Burkhard, French Chief of Staff

11.15 a.m. - 12.45 p.m. : Roundtable No. 1 – Future Challenges and Perspectives for Navies, with the Chiefs of Staff and their Representatives

Chair : Thomas Gomart, director, Ifri

Speakers :

Admiral Nicolas Vaujour, CEMM
Admiral Enrico Credendino, Capo di Stato Maggiore, Marina Militare
Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations, U.S. Navy
Admiral Sir Ben Key, First Sea Lord, Royal Navy
Vice-Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Eastern Naval Command, Indian Navy

12.45 p.m. - 2 p.m. : Lunch break

2 p.m. - 3.30 p.m. : Roundtable No. 2 – Ensuring Access on Deployed Operations

Chair : Alessio Patalano, Professor of War & Strategy in East Asia, King's College London

Speakers :

Vice-admiral (ret.) Pradeep Chauhan, Director General, National Maritime Foundation
Kelly Grieco, Senior Fellow, Henry L. Stimson Center
Alessandro Marrone, Director of the Defense Program, Instituto Affari Internationali
Elie Tenenbaum, Director of the Security Studies Center, Ifri

3.30 p.m. - 3.45 p.m. : Coffee break

3.45 p.m. - 5.15 p.m. : Roundtable No.3 – Challenges for CSGs in Naval Warfare

Chair : Héloïse Fayet, Research Fellow, Security Studies Center, Ifri

Speakers :

Rear-Admiral Jacques Mallard, COM FRSTRIKEFOR, Marine nationale
Brent Sadler, Senior Research Fellow for Naval Warfare, Heritage Foundation
Emma Salisbury, Associate Researcher, Council on Geostrategy
Vice-Admiral Giacinto Sciandra, COM ITMARFOR, Marina Militare

5.15 p.m. - 5.45 p.m. : Concluding Speech by Jean-Yves Le Drian, former French Minister of Defense

5.45 p.m. - 5.55 p.m : Ceremony for the awarding of the Admiral Castex Prize by Admiral Nicolas Vaujour and Thierry de Montbrial

5.55 p.m. - 6 p.m. : Concluding Remars by Thierry de Montbrial, Executive Chairman of Ifri

The conference will be held in English and French, with simultaneous translation.

6 pm: Press conference in english with :

Admiral Nicolas Vaujour, CEMM, France

Admiral Enrico Credendino, Capo di Stato Maggiore, Marina Militare, Italy

Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations, U.S. Navy

Admiral Sir Ben Key, First Sea Lord, Royal Navy

Vice-Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Eastern Naval Command, Indian Navy

Press accreditation : Natacha Crance - crance@ifri.org