From the coastline of the Mediterranean to the shores of Japan, the unexpected has descended upon us to shake us out of our complacency. Ten years after the 11 September 2001 attacks, strategic surprise is appearing in many forms. At one time economic and financial, it has become political, social and environmental, as well as having a security dimension, and will doubtless give rise to new and profound disturbances. No one yet knows what the effects of this upheaval might lead to, but what happens elsewhere, in all four corners of the earth, concerns us directly. For the French Navy, la Marine Nationale, the explosion of tension is already having an impact upon the conduct of operations and will not be without consequence for its future commitments.

At the same time, in an era when the IT revolution that makes us want to see and say everything without delay has radically altered our relationship with time and space, the growth in maritime traffic and the appearance of new sources of tension put the sea at the very heart of this century’s strategic challenges. Raymond Aron had already identified this trend when he declared that lines of communication, and therefore strategic lines, are no longer those of yesterday. Ships and their crews no longer sail alone nor remain alone for weeks on end. History has made a clear choice between res nullius and res omnium, he says. Far from belonging to no one, the sea belongs to everyone.⁽¹⁾ This prediction has become today’s reality. All that is maritime is with us in all its complexity and the sea constitutes a strategic space for manœuvre in many contexts—military, human, economic and ecological, among others.

From now on, how should we continue to preserve the essential freedom of the seas whilst at the same time enforcing our sovereignty? How can we adapt to these strategic surprises, whose recurrence will end up shaping our political and military environment?⁽²⁾ Finally, in such a context, to which challenges should the Marine Nationale respond now and in the future?