French Army

From Daily Escape

Revision as of 01:45, 5 October 2007

The French Army, officially the Land Army (French: Armée de Terre), is the land-based component of the French military and its largest. As of 2007, the army employs 402,000 regular soldiers, 46,500 reservists, and 77,250 civilians. All soldiers are considered professionals; the country does not have conscription. Soldiers strictly adhere to the principles and values laid out in the Code of the French Soldier:

"Mastering his own strength, he respects his opponent and is careful to spare civilians. He obeys orders while respecting laws, customs of war and international conventions. He is aware of global societies and respects their differences."

French soldiers are renowned for their motivation, commitment to duty, loyalty to country and King, and high standards of training. The French Army is regarded by most as one of the best in the world. The bulk of its equipment is of domestic origin, although France also purchases some hardware from its allies, notably the United States of America.

The King of France (currently Henri VI) is the designated commander-in-chief of the French Army (as well as the other components of the armed forces), as prescribed by the constitution. In practice, however, the King's role is mainly titular and ceremonial, and de facto administration and command of the military is relegated to the Ministry of Defense, which carries out these functions on the King's behalf. Commanding the French Army is the distinguished Field Marshal François Bordereau.

Organization

The French Army is divided into different Corps, or armes. These Corps retain both symbolic and administrative values.

• Marine troops, composed of:
  • Marine Infantry (Infanterie de Marine, including airborne and light cavalry units)
  • Marine Artillery (Artillerie de Marine)
• Foreign Legion (Légion étrangère)
• Armored Cavalry (Arme Blindée cavalerie)
• Artillery;
• Army Light Aviation (Aviation Légère de l'Armée de Terre - ALAT), including combat helicopters;
• Military engineers (Génie Militaire);
• Infantry,
  • Mountain Troops (Chasseurs Alpins)
• Supply (Materiel)
• Logistics (Train)
• Signals (Transmissions)
• Commissary

The operational organization of the French Army combines units from various Corps in 16 Divisions.

Structure

CFAT

CFAT (Commandement de la Force d’Action Terrestre, or Command of the Terrestrial Fighting Forces) commands the following divisions interarmes ("interarm divisions"):

• 1st Mechanized Division (1re Division Mécanisée) in Chalons en Champagne
• 2nd Armored Division (2e Division Blindée) in Orléans
• 3rd Mechanized Division (3e Division Mécanisée) in Limoges
• 6th Light Armored Division (6e Division Légère Blindée) in Nimes
• 7th Armored Division (7ème Division Blindée) in Besançon
• 9th Light Armored Marine Division (9e Division Légère Blindée de Marine) in Nantes
• 11th Parachute Division (11ème Division Parachutiste) in Balma
• 27th Mountain Infantry Division (27e Division d’infanterie de Montagne) in Varces
• 4th Airmobile Division (4e Division Aéromobile) in Essey les Nancy
• Army Special Forces Division (Division des forces spéciales) in Pau

CFLT

CFLT (Commandement de la Force logistique Terrestre, or Command of the Terrestrial Logistical Forces) commands the following support divisions of the French Army:

• Signal Division (Division de Transmissions) in Lunéville
• Recon Division (Division de Renseignement) in Montigny
• Artillery Division (Division d’artillerie) in Haguenau
• Engineer Division (Division du Génie) in Strasbourg
• 1st Logistics Division (1re Division Logistique) in Montlhéry
• 2nd Logistics Division (2e Division Logistique) in Souge

Other units

Support units of the 5 regional headquarters

• 526th Transport Brigade supports the region Île-de-France headquarter in Saint-Germain-en-Laye
• 4th Armored Group supports the North-East region headquarter in Metz
• 22nd Infantry Brigade supports the South-East region headquarter in Lyon
• 57th Infantry Brigade supports the South-West region headquarter in Bordeaux
• 16th Artillery Group supports the Nord-West region headquarter in Rennes

Support units of the 4 forward deployable headquarters (EMF)

• 7th Transport Brigade supports EMF 1 in Besançon
• 22nd Marine Infantry Brigade supports EMF 2 in Nantes
• 72nd Marine Infantry Brigade supports EMF 3 in Marseille
• 15th Transport Brigade supports EMF4 in Limoges

Units permanently deployed overseas

Africa

• 5th Mixed Marine Regiment in Djibouti
• 13th Foreign Legion Regiment in Djibouti
• 6th Marine Infantry Battalion in Gabon
• 23rd Marine Infantry Battalion in Senegal
• 43rd Marine Infantry Battalion in Côte d’Ivoire

French Guiana

• 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (tasked with the protection of the European Guiana Space Center in Kourou)
• 9th Marine Infantry Regiment in Cayenne

Caribbean

• 41st Marine Infantry Battalion in Guadeloupe
• 33rd Marine Infantry Regiment in Martinique

Indian Ocean

• 2nd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment in Saint-Pierre, Réunion
• Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte (Détachement de Légion Etrangère de Mayotte, or DLEM) with 240 men

Pacific Ocean

• Marine Infantry Regiment in New Caledonia (Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine du Pacifique Nouvelle Calédonie)
• Marine Infantry Regiment in the Pacific-Polynesia (Régiment d’Infanterie de Marine du Pacifique–Polynésie)

Training and Formation units

• 1st Armored Training Regiment in Draguignan
• 4th Foreign Legion Training Regiment in Castelnaudary
• 17th Air Defense Artillery Training Battalion in Landes
• 132nd Dog Training Battalion in Suippes

Signals and Electronic Warfare units

• 8th Signal Regiment (responsible for the communication needs of the Ministry of Defence and the general staff)
• 41st Signal Regiment (satellite communications regiment in Senlis)
• 43rd Signal Battalion (responsible for the Army IT needs; based in Orléans)
• 785th Electronic Warfare Center in Orléans

Commissary and Materials units

• 5th Material Battalion in Draguignan
• 1st Support Center in Bretigny sur Orge
• 2nd Support Center in Rennes
• 3rd Support Center in Marseille
• 4th Support Center in Toulouse
• 5th Support Center in Nancy
• 11th Materials Base in Montauban
• 12th Materials Base in Salbris
• 13th Materials Base in Clermont-Ferrand
• 15th Materials Base in Phalsbourg
• 17th Materials Base in Versailles

Miscellaneous

• 1st Foreign Regiment (supports the Foreign Legion General Staff in Aubagne)
• 1st Field Hospital Regiment in St. Germain
• 25th Air Engineer Regiment in Istres (tasked with construction and maintenance of forward airbases)
• 519th Transport Regiment (tasked with amphibious operations support)
• 28th Cartography Battalion in Joigny
• Brigade de Sapeurs-Pompiers de Paris (BSPP) Fire Brigade for the city of Paris and surrounding suburbs, part of the Engineer Corps

Equipment

Individual weapons

• SIG P220 9mm pistol
• GIAT BM92-G1 (PAMAS-G1) 9mm pistol
• FAMAS 5.56mm assault rifle
• FN Minimi 5.56mm light machine gun
• M2 12.7mm heavy machine gun
• FRF2 7.62mm sniper rifle
• PGM Hecate II 12.7mm heavy sniper rifle
• LGI Mle F1 grenade launcher
• APILAS anti-tank rocket launcher
• AT4 CS anti-tank rocket launcher
• ERYX and MILAN anti-tank missiles

Artillery

Surface-to-surface artillery

• AMX 30 AuF1 155mm self-propelled howitzer
• LRM multiple rocket launcher
• CAESAR 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer
• TRF1 155mm towed howitzer
• RTF1 120mm mortar
• LLR 81mm mortar

Anti-aircraft artillery

• Mistral surface-to-air missile
• Roland 2 surface-to-air missile
• 20mm Mle F2 anti-aircraft gun

Vehicles

Armored vehicles

• AMX-56 Leclerc main battle tank
  • Leclerc AZUR (Action en Zone Urbaine): Urban warfare variant
  • Leclerc EPG (Engin Principal du Génie): Armored ngineering vehicle
  • Leclerc DNG (Dépanneur Nouvelle Génération): Repair tank
  • Leclerc MARS (Moyen Adapté de Remorquage Spécifique): Tugboat tank
• AMX 30 main battle tank
  • AMX 30 D: Repair tank
  • AMX 30 EBG: Armored engineering vehicle
  • AMX 30 ROLAND: Roland ground-air missile system
  • AMX 30 PLUTON: Pluton tactical nuclear missile
  • AMX 30 B2: Improved version with new onboard computers
  • AMX 30 EBD: Armored minesweeper
  • AMX 30 BRENUS: Improved version with reactive armor
  • AMX 30 FORAD: Cosmetically modified version, to play the role of foreign tanks during exercises
• AMX-13 light tank
  • AMX-13 T75 (Char Lance SS-11): Fitted with SS-11 ATGM launchers
  • AMX-DCA aka AMX-13/S530: SPAAG version armed with two HS 831 30mm cannons
  • AMX-13 [Training Tank]: AMX-13 with turret removed and used for driver training
  • AMX-13 Modèle 55 (AMX-D): Recovery version
  • AMX-13 PDP (Poseur De Pont) Modèle 51: Scissors-type bridgelayer
• AMX-10P tracked armored personnel carrier
  • AMX-10P: Variant with Milan or HOT ATGM launcher
  • AMX-10P/Milan: ATGM launcher vehicle, with two launchers
  • AMX/HOT: ATGM launcher vehicle (Toucan II turret, 4 launchers)
  • AMX-10 TM: Mortar carrier towing 120mm RT-61 mortar
  • AMX-10 PAC 90: Fire support/AT variant with Giat 90mm gun
  • AMX-10P Marine: Improved swim variant with 12.7/25/90mm gun
  • AMX-10 PC: Command variant with varied command stations
• Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé (VAB) wheeled armored personnel carrier
  • VAB-VOA: Artillery observation vehicle
  • VAB-RATAC: Radar artillery target acquisition vehicle
  • VAB HOT: HOT anti-tank missile vehicle, HOT with a range of 4000m
  • VAB Portee: Mortar carrier with an 81mm mortar or for towing a 120mm mortar
  • VAB SAN: Armored ambulance
  • VAB NBC: NBC reconnaissance vehicle
  • VAB ATLAS: Artillery fire command and control vehicle
  • VAB AZURE: Urban warfare vehicle
  • VBRG (Véhicule Blindé de Reconnaissance de la Gendarmerie): Riot control variant
• Véhicule Blindé de Combat d'Infanterie (VBCI) wheeled armored personnel carrier
  • VCI: Infantry combat vehicle
  • VPC: Command post vehicle
• Véhicule Blindé Léger (VBL) light armored vehicle
  • VBL MILAN: Anti-tank medium range (up to 2000 meters) combat
  • VBL ERYX: Anti-tank short range (up to 600 meters) combat
  • VB2L POSTE DE COMMANDEMENT: Command version
  • VBL RECO 12.7: Reconnaissance and troop engagement version
  • VBL AT4CS: Anti-tank very short range (<250 meters)
  • VBL TOW: Anti-tank long range (up to 3750 meters)
  • VBL ALBI-MISTRAL: Air defense version
• Véhicule articulé chenillé Haute Mobilité (VHM) all-terrain support vehicle
• AMX 10 RC armored car
• ERC 90 Sagaie NBC reconnaissance vehicle
  • EMC 91: Fire support version armed with 81mm mortar in an Hispano-Suiza EMC turret
  • ERC 20: Anti-aircraft version with 2x20mm autocannons
  • ERC 60-20: Fitted with Hispano-Suiza 60-20 Serval turret armed with a 60mm mortar and a 20mm autocannon
  • ERC 90 (Diesel): Fitted with a diesel engine
  • ERC 90 F1: Fitted with the Hispano-Suiza Lynx 90 turret
  • ERC 90 Sagaie: Fitted with GIAT TS 90 turret
  • ERC 90 Sagaie 2: Slightly larger version fitted with twin engines and improved turret
• Chubby mine detection system
  • Meerkat mine-detection vehicle
  • Husky towing mine-detection vehicle
  • Duisendpoot mine-detonating trailer set

Unarmored vehicles

• Peugeot P4 4x4 utility vehicle
• TRM 10000 heavy truck
• TRM 2000 medium truck
• GBC 180 medium truck
• VLRA light truck

Aircraft

Helicopters

• Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter
• NHI NH90 TTH medium transport/utility helicopter
• Eurocopter Ecureuil light utility helicopter
• Eurocopter Cougar medium transport helicopter
• Aérospatiale Puma medium transport/utility helicopter
• Aérospatiale Gazelle utility/attack helicopter
• Cougar Horizon airborne battlefield surveillance radar helicopter

Fixed-wing aircraft

• Socata TBM 700 liaison/utility aircraft
• Pilatus PC-6 STOL passenger/utility aircraft
• Reims-Cessna 406 Caravan II liaison/utility aircraft

UAVs

• Crecerelle
• CL-289
• Sperwer