French Army
From Daily Escape
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
Army Light Aviation Command
- 4th Airmobile Division
- 1st Combat Helicopter Brigade in Phalsbourg
- 3rd Combat Helicopter Brigade in Etain
- 5th Combat Helicopter Brigade in Pau
- 6th Combat Helicopter in Margny les Compiegne
- Army Special Forces Brigade
- ALAT detachment for Special Operations (based in Pau-Uzein)
Equipment
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Equipment
to be added
