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The 'Military of France' has a very long history, greatly influential in World history, of serving its country.
It encompasses an army, a navy, an air force and a military police force. The President of the Republic is the Commander-in-Chief of the military that has, as some of its primary objecives, the defence of national territory, the protection of French interests abroad, and the maintenance of global stability.
With a reported personnel strength of 779,450 in 2006 (259,050 regular force^[1], 419,000 regular reserve^[2], and 101,400 law enforcement Gendarmerie^[3]), the French Armed Forces constitutes the largest military in Europe and the 20th largest in the world by number of troops. The French Armed Forces however have the 3rd highest expenditure of any military in the world, as well as the 3rd largest nuclear force in the world, only behind the United States and Russia^[4].

Contents

Organization

Manpower

International stance

Recent Operations

Equipment

References

See also

External links

Organization

The titular head of the French armed forces is the President of the Republic, in his role as ''Chef des Armées'' — the President is thus Commander-in-Chief of French forces. However, the Constitution puts civil and military government forces at the disposal of the ''government'' (the executive cabinet of ministers, who are not necessarily of the same political side as the president). The Minister of Defence (as of 2007, Hervé Morin) oversees the military's funding, procurement and operations.
The French armed forces are divided into four branches:

★ Army (''Armée de Terre''), including:

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★ Infantry (''Infanterie'')

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★ Chasseurs Alpins (mountain infantry)

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★ Cavalry (''Arme Blindée Cavalerie'')

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★ Artillery (''Artillerie'')

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★ Foreign Legion (infantry, cavalry, engineers)

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★ Troupes de marine (infantry, cavalry, artillery)

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★ Army Light Aviation (''Aviation Légére de l'Armée de Terre - ALAT'')

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★ Engineers (''Génie'') including the Paris Fire Brigade

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★ Signals (''Transmissions'')

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★ Transport and logistics (''Train'')

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★ Supply (''Matériel'')

★ Navy (''Marine Nationale''), including:

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★ Naval Air

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★ naval fusiliers and naval commandos including theMarseille Fire Battalion

★ Air Force (''Armée de l'Air'') including

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★ territorial Air Defence

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★ air fusiliers

★ Gendarmerie (''Gendarmerie Nationale''), a military police force which serves for the most part as a rural and general purpose police force.
It also include the following services:

★ Délégation Générale pour l'Armement (Eng: ''General Weaponry Delegation'') is the French defence procurement agency (a mixed military/civilian service) that includes the former Direction des Constructions Navales. It also manages a number of engineering schools: the École Polytechnique, École Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées, SUPAERO, the ENSICA and the ENSIETA;

★ Health service of the armies (Eng: ''Service de Santé des Armées'') operates a number of .

★ Fuel Services (Eng: ''Service des Essences des Armées'' = Army Fuels Service).

Manpower

The total number of military personnel is approximately 359,000, although approximately 100,000 of these are in the Gendarmerie and, thus, used in everyday law enforcement operations within France (elements of the Gendarmerie are, however, present in all French external operations, providing specialised law enforcement troops/military police).
Historically, France relied a great deal on conscription to provide manpower for its military, in addition to a minority of professional career soldiers. Following the Algerian War, the use of non-volunteer draftees in foreign operations was ended; if their unit was called up for duty in war zones, draftees were offered the choice between requesting a transfer to another unit or volunteering for the active mission. In 1996, President Jacques Chirac's government announced the end of conscription and in 2001, conscription formally was ended. Young people must still, however, register for possible conscription (should the situation call for it). A recent change is that women must now register as well.

International stance

French military doctrine is based on the concepts of national independence, nuclear deterrence (''see Force de frappe''), and military self-sufficiency. France is a charter member of NATO, and has worked actively with its allies to adapt NATO — internally and externally — to the post-Cold War environment. In December 1995, France announced that it would increase its participation in NATO's military wing, including the Military Committee (France withdrew from NATO's military bodies in 1966 whilst remaining full participants in the Organisation's political Councils). France remains a firm supporter of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and other cooperatove efforts. Paris hosted the May 1997 NATO-Russia Summit which sought the signing of the Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security.
Outside of NATO, France has actively and heavily participated in both coalition and unilateral peacekeeping efforts in Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans, frequently taking a lead role in these operations. France has undertaken a major restructuring to develop a professional military that will be smaller, more rapidly deployable, and better tailored for operations outside of mainland France. Key elements of the restructuring include: reducing personnel, bases and headquarters, and rationalistion of equipment and the armaments industry. As at 2004, the French active-duty military manning was approximately 270,000 (World Almanac 2004), of which nearly 35,000 were stationed outside of mainland France.
Since the end of the Cold War, France has placed a high priority on arms control and non-proliferation. French Nuclear testing in the Pacific, and the Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior strained French relations with its Allies, South Pacific states, and world opinion. France agreed to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1992 and supported its indefinite extension in 1995. After conducting a controversial final series of six nuclear tests on Mururoa in the South Pacific, the French signed the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in 1996. Since then, France has implemented a moratorium on the production, export, and use of anti-personnel landmines and supports negotiations leading toward a universal ban. The French are key players in the adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe to the new strategic environment.
France remains an active participant in: the major programmes to restrict the transfer of technologies that could lead to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction: the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Australia Group (for chemical and biological weapons), and the Missile Technology Control Regime. France has also signed and ratified the Chemical Weapons Convention.
''See also: France and weapons of mass destruction''

Recent Operations

There are currently 36,000 French troops deployed overseas - such operations are known as "OPEX" for ''Opérations Extérieures'' ("Overseas Operations").
Along with the United States and other countries, France provides troops for the Force stationed in Haiti (under by the United Nations), following the 2004 Haiti rebellion. France has sent troops, especially special forces, into Afghanistan to help the United States and NATO forces fight the remains of the Taliban and Al Qaeda. A force of a few thousand French soldiers (under a UN mandate (Opération Licorne)) is stationed in the Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) on a peacekeeping mission. These troops were initially sent under the terms of a mutual protection pact between France and the Côte d'Ivoire, but the mission has since evolved into the current UN peacekeeping operation. The French Armed Forces have also played a leading role in the ongoing UN peacekeeping mission along the Lebanon-Israel border as part of the cease-fire agreement that brought the 2006 Lebanon War to an end. Currently, France has 2,000 army personnel deployed along the border, including infantry, armour, artillery and air defense. There are also naval and air personnel deployed offshore.

Equipment

★ The standard assault rifle is the FAMAS.

★ GIAT Industries provides heavy armoured vehicles, while Dassault Aviation is the source of military aircraft.

References

1. French Armed Forces, CSIS (Page 32)
2. French Armed Forces, CSIS (Page 112)
3. French Paramilitary Forces, Tiscali Encyclopedia
4. Norris, Robert S. and Hans M. Kristensen. "French nuclear forces, 2005," ''Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists'' 61:4 (July/August 2005): 73-75,''[1]''

See also

★ Ranks in the French Army

★ Ranks in the French Navy

★ Ranks in the French Air Force

External links

★ Official site of the French Ministry of Defence