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  • AFP / Francois Mori
  • AFP / Valerie Leroux
  • AFP / Valerie Leroux

In the belly of the beast

Monday 28 November 2016

"'There is a chance to spend 24 hours aboard an SSBN, are you available?' When I receive the message from the French Navy, I don’t even take the time to think about it," writes defense correspondent Valerie Leroux.

"A chance to spend a day inside a nuclear ballistic missile submarine? 'Yes, of course,' I answer right away."

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AFP Photo / Patrick Baz

Lost in a metal shell

Thursday 12 March 2015

"How do I feel about spending a week on an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf? To be honest, as the prospect takes shape, I can feel myself tensing up," writes AFP's Valerie Leroux. "A week in a metal shell, nine storeys high, trekking up and down mile-long gangways and teetering ladders, to the non-stop soundtrack of Rafale fighters roaring into the air on the deck above? But to hell with claustrophobia, never mind deafening decibels, I decide to go all in and board a plane for Bahrain. I won’t regret it."

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