French armed forces
Branches	Army Navy Air Force Gendarmerie Nationale
Command
President	Nicolas Sarkozy
Minister of Defence	Grard Longuet
Chief of Staff of the Armed	Admiral Edouard Guillaud
Labor
Military age	17 years with consent for military service (2001)
Available for military service	13676509
Percentage of GNP	1.7% (2008) (excluding police)
Industry
National Suppliers	French military-industrial complex
Annual Exports	5.66 billion euros of orders (2007) 4.81 billion of delivery (2007)
Related articles
History	Military History of France
Grades	Grades of the French Army
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The French armed forces or French army is composed of the Army, the Air Force, National Gendarmerie and the Navy, and various services joint under the direction of Chief of Defence Staff. The French armies are now composed of professional soldiers (the conscription has been suspended by Act ^No. 97-1019 of 28 October 1997 to reform the national service), military reservists (former or active military volunteers from the civilian) and civilian personnel.

The French army has a workforce of 313,402 civilians and military in 2009 , including 240,996 military and 72,407 civilians. The 98,794 policemen are now attached to the Ministry of Internal Affairs . The French army occupies the ^13th place worldwide in the workforce. Among the countries whose military expenditures are known, France is in 2010, third in the world (military budget equivalent to 65.74 billion U.S. dollars) ahead of the UK . It is also ^the 3rd world nuclear power, behind Russia and the United States . She is also the third power which is equipped with an independent nuclear force (first test in February 1960) it has developed and controlled by it in complete autonomy in the UK contrast with strategic missiles are American-born .

The French army includes joint agencies and four major components. They are:

• the Army ;
• the Navy ;
• the Air Force ;
• the gendarmerie , which is attached for use in the Interior Ministry from ¹ January 2009 , but retained its status as military and police force which is subject to the execution of military missions to the Ministry of Defence

Summary 1 Presentation of forces 1.1 Army 1.2 Navy 1.3 Air Force 1.4 National Gendarmerie Command 2 3 Doctrine and missions 3.1 Mission 3.2 Framework Employment 3.3 Functions strategic 3.4 International Position 4 Format of the armed forces 4.1 Strengths projectable (Model White Paper) 4.2 Recent Deployments 4.3 Training global (White model) 4.4 Support Joint 5 Personal 5.1 The Women in the Military 6 Budget 7 Archives 8 History 9 Notes and references 10 Appendices 10.1 Related Articles 2.10 External Links

Introduction forces

Army

The Army has 120,000 active military : 13 000 career officers and contract; 42 000 sub-career officers and contract, 63 000 soldiers under contract (MDR) and 1650 volunteers of the Army (VDAT). In addition to these figures 15 500 reservists operational, 19,100 former soldiers called citizen reserve non-quota and 24 000 civilians. Its budget is 8991 million.

The Army has since 2009 organized as follows:

• a functional chain;
  • Staff of the Army (EMAT)
  • five regions of Earth (RT)
  • operational maintenance of army equipment (SMIT)
  • doctrine (CDEF)
  • personnel management (HR-AT);
• an operational chain;
  • Land Forces Command (LFC)
    • five staffs of force,
    • eight arms brigades,
    • a Franco-German brigade,
    • an airmobile brigade,
    • six brigades specialized support.

Navy

With 54,600 men and women, the Navy has 146 vessels with a tonnage of 305,000 tons and 162 aircraft.

It consists of four main forces:

• the Naval Action Force (FAN): 115 buildings and 12,000 people. ;
• The submarine force (WSF): 10 buildings and 3300 people;
• The Naval Aviation (AVIA): 147 aircraft and 7300 people;
• The marines and commandos (FORFUSCO): 2 000 people divided into 16 teams.

Air Force

The Air Force is strong with approximately 55 200 people, including 47,700 military and 7500 civilians (14%). The rate of female is 20%. It has about 830 aircraft, including 300 combat aircraft in 32 air bases in France and 8 bases or secondments overseas. It consists of three main forces:

• the strategic air force (SAF);
• the combat air force (CAF);
• the air force projection (FAP).

Gendarmerie

The gendarmerie is a military force under the Ministry of the Interior since the Act of August 3, 2009. It kept its military along with the land, air and navy.

On 14 July the police parade led troops in accordance with the running order prescribed in use since Louis XIV ( order of May 6, 1667 ). This practice also takes into account:

• the age of creation of each of the armed forces (gendarmerie, army, navy, air)
• the pecking order under the Act.
• The gendarmerie is a weapon of elite as shown grenade.

101 134 personal. The military and civilian personnel of the Gendarmerie Nationale are divided into:

• 6 450 74 063 officers and noncommissioned officers of the gendarmerie;
• 239 officers and 4038 NCOs technical and administrative bodies;
• 14 391 volunteers from the volunteer candidates (AGIV) deputies and police volunteers (GAV);
• 1 928 civilian personnel are divided into civil servants, workers and government contractors;
• 25,000 reserve personnel used according to the needs of the service. This reserve has not yet reached its full staffing.

Command

Sections 20 and 21 of the 1958 Constitution placed the military under the sole authority of the Government: "the Government determines and conducts the policy of the Nation. It has armed force "(art. 20);" the Prime Minister heads the Government's action. He is responsible for national defense. He appoints military. He may delegate certain powers to the Ministers "(Art. 21). However, since by section 15 of the 1958 Constitution, the president carries the symbolic title of "head of armies, it has often resulted from the commentators ambiguity between the roles of Chairman and the Government or the Command of military, this ambiguity has no place .

At the head of the various weapons is a chief of staff (an executive director for the National Gendarmerie), responsible to the Minister of Defence to prepare their army for their implementation.

The political decision of their operational implementation is the responsibility of Government. Command of any military operation conducted by elements of the armed forces is ensured by the Chief of Staff of Armed (CEMA), which also has joint organizations , including, in particular:

• the General Staff of Armed Forces (EMA);
• the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DRM);
• the Special Operations Command (SOC);
• central management of military health service (DCSSA);
• central management of the fuel service armies (EASD).

Doctrine and missions

Missions

The armed forces responsible for holding and implementing arms of France. This, by decision of the Government, in order to:

• preserve the vital interests of France (maintaining the integrity of national territory, the free exercise of sovereignty and protection of its people and its citizens);
• contribute to security and defense of the European and Mediterranean;
• contribute to actions to promote peace and international law.

Employment Framework

The employment framework of the armed forces includes:

• of operations in peace support and international law under the mandate of the UN ;
• interventions within an alliance or a multinational coalition, including within the NATO or the European Union ;
• operations within a national framework, for example as part of bilateral defense.

Strategic Functions

Nuclear Deterrence:

Deterrence rests on the perception by a potential adversary unacceptable risk that it would take an attack against France or its interests. Nuclear doctrine is that of non-employment. The French nuclear capability consists of:

• ballistic missiles that equip the submarine ballistic missile nuclear ballistic missile submarines ;
• aerodynamic missiles ( ASMP ) for the airborne component which includes aircraft of the Air Force and the Naval Aviation.

Prevention:
Prevention is to anticipate the emergence of crises in order to maintain a level as low as possible and prevent the use of force. From a military standpoint, it is based on:

• intelligence service ( DGSE , DRM ) have human and technical means (interception of telecommunications and observation satellites);
• devices for military cooperation to help countries with which France has agreements to develop autonomous means of conflict resolution;
• prepositioned forces outside the borders to intervene as quickly as possible.

Projection of force and power:
If prevention efforts could not prevent the onset of a crisis, it may be necessary to intervene. The commitment can range from the simple presence at the show of force with retaliatory actions with modern weapons from long distances.

France acquires the force of intervention projects with several thousands of kilometers in a short time, and means to sustain them over time.

Protection:
This feature is particularly reflected in the continuing activities of security forces police (monitoring, neutralization ...), the posture of permanent maritime protection and posture permanent backup air (assistance to aircraft detection and intervention ...).

International Position

French military doctrine is based on national independence, nuclear deterrence and self-sufficient military. France is a member of NATO , but left in 1966 to 2009 its integrated military structure. Recently, she has actively worked with its allies to adapt its forces (internally and externally) to the new international environment due at the end of the Cold War. She is also a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Outside of NATO, France has actively participated in various operations of peacekeeping in Africa , the Middle East and the Balkans.

France has taken major steps to restructure its army to the professional. The French army can afford to be smaller but should be able to deploy more rapidly outside of France. In 2006, the French Army has over 350 000 (including 100 000 gendarmes) males with nearly 35,000 outside France.

Since the end of the Cold War, France favors the control and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. In 1992 France signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons which entered into force in 1995 after a series of six tests at Mururoa. She also signed in 1996, the CTBT and nuclear testing and the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Since then, France has established a moratorium on production, export and use of anti-personnel mines it would be enjoined.

Format of the armed forces

Forces projectable (Model White Paper)

• Army: Army must be capable of projecting, 7 or 8 000 km, 30 000 men in 48 hours.
• Navy: one carrier battle group and a submarine force
• Air Force: 70 fighters with their environment and 2 air bases projectable
• Staffs Joint projectable

All armies must be able to project within the territory of 10 000 men for homeland security missions.

Recent deployments

Formats overall (Model White Paper)

• Army: an armored force, an armored rapid intervention force, a force of intervention in the emergency has 130,600 military and civilian implementing 250 Leclerc tanks , and more light tanks, 650 armored vehicles VBCI , 2350 and 150 other armored VBMR HMMV, 80 combat helicopters ( Tigers ), 130 utility helicopters ( EC-725 - Caracal ), 131 AUF1 TA , 77 CAESARS , 84 TRF1 and 44 155 mm multiple rocket launchers.
• Navy: a surface force with an aircraft carrier (a second may be built later), 60 combat aircraft, an amphibious force, 18 frigates (senior) and 4 buildings command a submarine force (10 submarines), 4 projection and command of the Mistral, a maritime patrol aircraft and 44,000 military and 7500 civilians. The fleet is expected to exceed 500 000 t (with a second aircraft carrier and submarine force);
• Air force: 300 combat aircraft Rafale and Mirage 2000-D ), 4 AWACS , 14 MRTT and 50 transport aircraft and 50,000 military and 7,000 civilians;
• National Gendarmerie: 96 000 2 000 soldiers and civilians;
• Reserve: 80 000 reservists.

Joint Support

The White Paper on Defence and National Security and the process called General Public Policy Review (RGPP) led to introduce a new architecture to support joint local, including the gradual establishment of bases defense. The experimental defense bases (BSDE), created some from 1 January 2009, are the local chain joint supports. They correspond to a geographical area within which there are support groups experimental defense bases (GSBdDe) and formations or organizations supported by the BSDE.

Personal

The French armed forces are currently comprised of professional military personnel, conscription has been suspended since 2001, as well as civilian personnel.

In 2007 they had 437,000 military personnel including 355 000 submitted to the general military (38 000 officers, NCOs 200 000 92 000 soldiers and 25 000 volunteers) and 83 000 civilians (employees, contractors and workers of State). Reservists numbered 56,000 and they would be more than 60,000 end 2007 to reach the target enrollment of 94,000 in 2012.

In comparison, in 1991 the French army had 300,643 soldiers, 241,716 and 127,778 civilians called for a total of 670,137 men, divided as follows:

• Army: 318,080 men with 106 814 active 173 504 37 762 conscripts and civilians (47.5% of the workforce);
• Navy: 72,425 including 46,197 active duty that called 19,098 civilians and 7130
• Air Force: 98,264 with 57,418 active duty that called 35,443 civilians and 5403
• Gendarmerie: 90 245 78 676 men whose active duty, 10 602 known and 967 civilians (13.5% of the workforce);
• common services: 91 123 11 538 men whose military, 3069 called and 76,516 civilians (13.6% of the workforce).

Women in army

The feminization of the French army in 1914 with the recruitment of women as health workers ( Health Service of the Armed Forces ). In 1939, they are allowed to integrate the armed corps, and in 1972 their status is changing at the same level as that of men. However, the access of female staff NCOs to units of the Gendarmerie Mobile is now banned. There is also no female staff on board submarines of the Navy.

The workforce in 2007 and comprises 50 000 women for all services

More statistics are available on the website of the Ministry of Defence Budget

The French army is (with the British army) one of the most financially endowed in Europe. Its defense budget for 2007 is 54 billion (second budget with the United Kingdom). The France spends about 2.4% per annum of its GDP to defense. In 2005, France finances 6.40% of the budget of NATO , more than 110 million euros. Budget 2006 and 2007 is 47.7 billion euros.

Again by way of comparison, the defense budget for 1991 amounted to 194.548 billion of francs (29.65 billion euros), with an average of 3.7% of GNP during 1985-1990.

Archives

Until now, the archives of the Army and the Air Force and Navy are installed at the Chateau de Vincennes, that of arming Chatellerault, those of the gendarmerie in Maisons-Alfort, establishing communication and audiovisual production of the defense held the fort of Ivry-sur-Seine and the archives of former combatants are in Caen. Eventually, everything will be meeting in Vincennes, except the records of the weapons that remain in Chatellerault.

In general, a file is opened after 30 years, those who are likely to harm the security of the state suffered an embargo of 60 years. The minutes and records of vital statistics are available only after 100 years, and individual records after 120 years.

History