Russian Acquisition of the French Mistral Amphibious Assault Warships

In a recent security agreement, France agreed to sell Russia two to four Mistral-class helicopter assault ships. The sale, which will provide the Russian Navy with capabilities that it has not had previously, provoked concern on the part of several NATO allies and Georgia.

On June 27, the Center on the United States and Europe hosted U.S. Navy LCDR Patrick Baker for a special briefing on Russia’s new capabilities. In the masters thesis he wrote during his time at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, LCDR Baker explored the nature of the sale, Russia’s motivations and the capabilities that the Mistral-class ships will give Russia.