Running app reveals location of France aircraft carrier in Mediterranean: report

Published March 20, 2026 Updated March 20, 2026 03:25pm

A member of the French navy using an app to track his jogging performance broadcast the exact position of his country’s flagship aircraft carrier, Le Monde has reported.

According to Reuters, France deployed the Charles de Gaulle — and accompanying frigates — to the Mediterranean in early March. It has been in the eastern Mediterranean since March 9 as part of what Emmanuel Macron has called a “purely defensive” posture.

Le Monde reported that the runner jogged in circles on a ship in movement on March 13 in the middle of the sea northwest of Cyprus, according to his public profile on the Strava fitness tracking app, while satellite images showed the aircraft carrier was in the immediate vicinity at the time.

The same person had also been running in Copenhagen, Denmark, in late February, across a bridge from Malmo, Sweden, where the Charles de Gaulle was anchored at the time, Strava data showed.

The French armed forces told AFP appropriate measures would be taken if the report was true, as members of the navy were regularly reminded about the risk of security breaches using such apps.

Rafale and Super Etendards fighter jets are parked prior to a mission aboard France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier sailing in the Gulf on January 28, 2016. — Reuters/File
Rafale and Super Etendards fighter jets are parked prior to a mission aboard France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier sailing in the Gulf on January 28, 2016. — Reuters/File

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