A French Navy sailor may have inadvertently exposed the location of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle by uploading a fitness run to the public app Strava, according to a report by the French newspaper Le Monde.
The run took place on March 13, as the nuclear-powered carrier was sailing toward the eastern Mediterranean on a security mission ordered by President Emmanuel Macron following the outbreak of the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
According to data from the app, the sailor ran back and forth on the carrier’s deck for about 35 minutes, covering a distance of 7.3 kilometers. The activity was uploaded to a public Strava account, allowing observers to identify the ship’s position almost in real time.
While the deployment of the Charles de Gaulle was not classified, the report noted that the posting effectively revealed its precise location, raising concerns over operational security.
Le Monde has previously reported on similar incidents, demonstrating how publicly shared fitness data can expose sensitive movements, including those of security teams and even nuclear submarines.
The French military said the publication of the route on Strava “does not comply with current regulations,” adding that personnel are regularly reminded of such rules.
“The appropriate measures will be taken by commanders,” the military said.
The Charles de Gaulle is France’s only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the only such vessel outside the U.S. Navy.