For 150 young French undertraining cadets, 'La Perouse' exercise no less than an exam

By Ankur Sharma
Kochi (Kerala) [India], April 2 : The upcoming Navies' exercise 'La Perouse', which will have 8 ships from India, the US, Australia and Japan, led by France, will be like an exam and is also the last leg of training for 150 young French cadets, which includes women cadets.
These cadets are from the latest batch embarked on the amphibious assault helicopters carrier Tonnerre from the latest batch all set to pass from French Naval Officer Application School.
While talking to ANI, these cadets shared their experiences and the importance of 'La Perouse' in their careers.
"It is important in this mission to take part in international exercises with strategic partners. This immerses us in our future profession, which focuses on the sea and other nations. We will learn to work with these partners' navies. It will be a real experience for our future profession and the positions we will hold in the future. I am very proud and I look forward to taking part in this exercise," Cadet officer Alexis said.
"For cadet officers, the daily life revolves mainly around training. We alternate periods of theoretical learning and periods of practice. We take part in the watch, whether on the bridge, in the machine or in central operations. This training is very comprehensive and very intense," said woman cadet officer Charlotte, who joined the French Navy in 2017 and started this new training in September. She is now following the mission of Jeanne d'Arc.
While giving details about life on board, Cadet Charlotte said, "About daily life on board, we have wardrooms and entertainment rooms where we can spend time together after work. Access to the internet is indeed very limited; however, the purpose of the mission is to train so it is not a concern for us."
When asked about women cadets and their challenges, if any, Charlotte said, "A number of women are embarked in the French Navy. We are about 15 per cent of the total French Navy strength. For me, this has never been a problem; on the contrary, I have always felt well integrated into the crews."
She also said that she perfectly manages personal as well as professional life. "As far as family life is concerned, my parents are fine with the distance; we manage to keep the link. I think that in the future it will be relatively easy to manage the subject. In any case, the French soldiers are used to it and it usually goes very well."