Fitness App "Strava" Leaks Secret Location of French Aircraft Carrier

A French sailor’s morning jog has inadvertently compromised the classified position of the FS Charles de Gaulle, France’s flagship nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

On Friday, March 13, 2026, a sailor identified as "Arthur" tracked a 7.23-kilometer run on the vessel's deck using a Garmin Forerunner 955.

By uploading the workout to Strava with public privacy settings, he revealed the warship was operating in the eastern Mediterranean, specifically situated south of Cyprus and north of Egypt.

The leaked GPS data traced a precise back-and-forth route, roughly 300 meters wide, perfectly outlining the carrier's flight deck.

“Arthur’s Strava segment did it for free,” noted a report from Le Monde, highlighting how easily the military’s secret movements were broadcast to the world.

The timing is particularly sensitive, as the carrier strike group, which includes a nuclear attack submarine and international frigates, was rushed to the region following "escalating tensions with Iran" and drone strikes in Cyprus earlier this month.

This incident is the latest in a decade-long struggle between fitness technology and operational security. Despite repeated warnings, military personnel continue to leave a "digital breadcrumb trail" for adversaries to follow.

Its primary mandate involves a 2018 scandal where Strava’s "Global Heatmap" accidentally exposed the perimeters of undisclosed U.S. bases in Syria and Afghanistan.

The security breach will also absorb and expand upon the findings of the #StravaLeaks investigation, which previously traced the movements of President Emmanuel Macron’s security detail and U.S. Secret Service agents.

A critical component of the risk involves the visibility of "guard rotation patterns" and the identification of supposedly anonymous personnel.

One analyst remarked that the orange lines on the map represent a "terrible combination" of fitness goals and military secrets.

One of the most immediate challenges facing the French Ministry of Armed Forces is the failure of previous policy rewrites to stick.

Experts cited the "social appeal of visibility" within the 100-million-user app as the primary driver for these recurring leaks.

“The lesson apparently hasn’t stuck,” senior news editors observed, noting that France had not publicly disclosed the carrier’s exact coordinates prior to the post.

The establishment of this latest "leak" follows President Macron’s March 9 announcement that France would lead a coalition naval mission through the Strait of Hormuz.

While the Ministry of Armed Forces has not officially commented, the emphasis remains on protecting world leaders and high-value assets from "GPS pinging publicly" during active crises.

Director-level defense officials are expected to once again tighten regulations on wearable tech.

As the 2026 deployment continues, the line between a "genuinely solid effort" on the treadmill and a national security threat remains dangerously thin.

“Individuals who were supposed to be anonymous,” were once again mapped out for anyone curious enough to look.