The history of French nuclear deterrence has its roots in the 1960s, with the creation of the Strategic Oceanic Force (FOST). The Long Island base, inaugurated in 1970, today houses four Le Triomphant-class nuclear ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), representing an investment of several billion euros. These 138 meter long behemoths, capable of carrying sixteen M51 nuclear missiles, constitute the spearhead of our strike force.
However, a survey published in The Worldrevealed that the Breton military base saw its secrets revealed by a rather unexpected means: the connected watches of its military personnel. Especially because of Stravawho had already found himself in turmoil at the start of the school year with the Stravaleaks threatening Emmanuel Macron as well as Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
An algorithm that decodes underwater patrols
The submariners' connected watches record their daily physical activities at the base: running on the docks, weight training sessions, training exercises. This data is automatically uploaded on their public Strava profiles.
If you don't know Strava, it's an online platform and mobile application that allows you to record, analyze and share your sports activities thanks to a GPS tracking systemwhile offering a social aspect to compare and motivate yourself with other users. The sportsman's Facebook, so to speak.
However, the analysis of these profiles reveals a recurring pattern: periods of intense activity on land alternate with phases of total digital silence lasting exactly 70 days – the standard duration of a sea patrol.
Even more concerning, the app retains complete workout history. By analyzing this data over several months, it becomes possible to establish the precise schedule of rotations of the four submarines. When a Strava profile suddenly stops, its owner has gotten on board. When sporting activity suddenly resumes, often with comments about “ the recovery » after a long stop, it is the signal for the crew to return to land.
Strava: the enemy of national security?
An extremely worrying leak of course, since by crossing the profiles of several crew members, Strava involuntarily draws precise temporal mapping of FOST movements. The application not only reveals periods of absence, but also training areas on land, usual relief schedules, and even seasonal variations in rotations.
-How was one of the most secure bases in our territory able to find its activities thus exposed? Smartwatches actually escape security protocols because, unlike smartphones, they are perceived as simple sports accessories.
However, their local storage capacity allows them to accumulate data even in the absence of a connection. Once back in an area with network access, they automatically sync entire blocks of information to Strava, creating a detailed digital trace crew activities.
Strava data now allows an informed observer to deduce not only the departure and return periods of submarines, but also to precisely identify the crew members involved in each rotation. A gaping flaw that the French Navy has recognizedbut who does not consider that this represents “ a major risk ».
However, with such data in hand, a potential adversary couldin theory, plan an attack more intelligently, organize targeted kidnappings or assassinations or sabotage operations. Especially since the main strength of SSBNs is their ability to carry out operations in complete discretion; it's even the pillar of underwater nuclear deterrence. If an opponent knows the movements of the machines in advance, this skill is therefore seriously compromised.
- The connected watches used by staff at the ultra-secure Île Longue base upload their data to Strava.
- The analysis of Strava profiles can therefore provide precise schedules for the base's nuclear submarine patrols.
- This information compromises the discretion of the deterrent force and exposes crews to obvious security risks.
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