The French military fleet ship, with its Rafale Marine fighter jets, left the port of Toulon at around 10:00 local time (09:00 in Lisbon), according to AFP.

The aircraft carrier is escorted by a nuclear attack submarine, frigates and a supply ship, constituting France's "naval air group" and the largest in Europe.

When NATO's two-week mission was announced, French Vice Admiral Didier Maleterre, second-in-command of NATO's Maritime Command, stressed that France could "at the snap of a finger regain national command during operations, if necessary".

From 26 April to 10 May, the warship will participate in a NATO mission involving ships from several countries, including Portugal, the United States, Greece, Spain and Italy, under the command of the Maritime Staff, composed of fifteen countries, and led by an American vice admiral.

On 25 April, on the eve of the transfer of Charles-de-Gaulle to NATO's operational control, the aircraft carrier will also host for the first time a conference of the 32 ambassadors of the alliance's member countries, a sign of France's reinvestment in NATO.

However, the announcement that the aircraft carrier would be placed under the control of the Atlantic Alliance was criticized.

On 12 April, the leader of the France Insubordinate (LFI, a coalition of left-wing and far-left parties) party, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, criticized on the social network X the "declared vassalage" of France.

In response, the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, stated on the same social network that the French should not give in to lies, assuring that "France never loses command of its forces placed under the NATO flag".

"Our aircraft carrier will lead this mission conducted with our allies," said Lecornu, adding that they are "the only Europeans capable of deploying an air-naval group of this size".

With this mission, the aircraft carrier Charles-de-Gaulle, which carries 1,900 crew members and 40 aircraft, resumed operations after its period of unavailability for intermediate maintenance, which began in May 2023, with eight months of work to "maintain and modernize its capabilities" and carry out sea trials, according to the ministry.

According to the French Navy, in its previous missions, the aircraft carrier was involved in France's commitments to the countries of the European Union and NATO, but also worked to combat the reconstitution of the capabilities of the terrorist group Islamic State in the Middle East.

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