Image: finance.yahoo.com
WASHINGTON—Late last month, the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle steamed into the Persian Gulf to join the fight against the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). While little noticed in the United States, the de Gaulle’s arrival significantly enhances what France is bringing to the fight. Already a key contributor to the anti-ISIS coalition, France’s carrier-based operations will significantly reduce the flight time of aircraft striking targets in Iraq. When the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army General Martin Dempsey, visited the carrier with his French counterpart last week, French officials said that …read more