French Army

The French Armed forces are made up of the national police and Air, Sea, Armies, various service Interarmées under the direction of the Chief of staff of the armies. The French Armies are today made up of professional soldiers (348 approximately 000) (the Conscription having been suspended in 2001), and of civil personnel like possibly of Réserviste S (former servicemen of active or resulting from the civilian).

Presentation of the forces

Army

National marine

Air force

National police

Command

Doctrines and missions

Missions

The armed forces have the roles of:

to preserve the vital interests of France (the maintenance of the integrity of the national territory, the free exercise of the Sovereignty and the protection of its population and its nationals);
to contribute to the safety and the defense of European and Mediterranean space;
to contribute to the actions in favor of peace and the international law;
to take part in public service missions.

Tally of employment

The framework of use of the armed forces recovers:

of the operations of support of peace and the international law under mandate of UNO;
of the interventions within an alliance or a multinational coalition, in particular within NATO or of the European Union;
of the operations within a national framework, for example within the framework of the bilateral agreements of defense.

Strategic functions

Nuclear deterrence :

See the article: Force of French nuclear deterrence

dissuasion rests on perception by a potential adversary of the unacceptable risks which an aggression against France or its interests would make him take. The nuclear doctrines remain that of not-employment. The French nuclear capacity consists of:

* ballistic missiles which equip the nuclear submarines launchers with machines aerodynamic SNLE

* missiles (ASMP) for the airborne component to which belongbelong of the planes of the Air force and with the Naval air force.

Prevention: The prevention consists in anticipating the emergence of crises in order to maintain them on a level low possible and to prevent the use of the force. From a military point of view, it rests on:

Of the intelligence services (DGSE, DRM) having human and technical means (interception of telecommunications and satellites of observation);
Of the devices of military cooperation to help the countries with which we have agreements to obtain autonomous means of resolution of the conflicts;
Of the forces prépositionnées outside the borders allowing to intervene as soon as possible.

Projection of forces and power : If the preventive actions could not prevent the release of a crisis, it can be necessary to intervene. Engagement can vary simple presence, with the show of force with actions of retortions with drawn modern weapons at long distance.

France obtains projectable rapid deployment forces to several thousands of kilometers within a short time, as well as means to support them in the duration.

Protection : This function results in particular in the permanent action of safety of the forces of gendarmerie (monitoring, neutralization…), the permanent posture of maritime Safeguard and the permanent posture of air safeguard (assistance with the aircraft, detection and intervention…). In the event of exceptional circumstances (natural disasters or industrial…) the armed forces can come to reinforce the devices set up by the civil authorities

International position

The French military doctrines are founded on national independence, the nuclear deterrence and the military self-sufficiency. France is member of NATO, but left in 1966 its integrated military organization. Recently, she actively worked with her allies to adapt her forces (internally and outside) to the new international environment due at the end of the Cold war. She is also member of the Organization for safety and the co-operation in Europe.

Apart from NATO, France took an active part in various operations of maintenance of peace in Africa, in the the Middle East and in the Balkans.

France took major measures of reorganization of its army for the professionnaliser. The French Army can be allowed to be smaller but it must be able to be spread more quickly apart from France. In 2006, the French Army counts more than 350.000 (including 100.000 gendarmes) men including nearly 35.000 except metropolis.

Since the end of the Cold war, France privileges the control and the non-proliferation of the nuclear weapons. In 1992 France signed the Traité nuclear non-proliferation which came into effect in 1995 after a series of 6 discussed tests to Moruroa. It also signed, in 1996, the Traité complete prohibition of the nuclear tests and the Convention on the chemical weapons. Since, France created a moratorium on the production, the export and the use of the anti-personnel mines which she would wish to make prohibit.

Format of the armed forces

Projectable forces

Army : the Army must be able to project, in Europe, within a force of NATO or the EU, 40.000 nonhinged personnel or within a multinational force out of Europe 30.000 personnel nonhinged after 1 hinged year and simultaneously, in national, 5.000 personnel;

National marine : a air and sea Group and an underwater force;

Air force : 100 fighters with their environment and 2 air bases projectable;

of the projectable staffs interarmées.

Recent deployments

Total formats (model 2015)

Army : an armor-plated force, a mechanized force, a fast armor-plated rapid deployment force, a force of infantry of attack; 136.000 soldiers and 34.000 civilians;
National marine : a force of surface with two aircraft carriers, a force amphibian, an underwater force, a maritime aviation of patrol; 45.500 soldiers and 11.000 civilians;
Air force : 300 fighters, 56 transport aircraft, 16 tankers, 4 AWACS; 63.000 soldiers and 7.000 civilians;
National police : 96.000 soldiers and 2.000 civilians;
Reserve : 30.000 Reservist S.

Personnel

The French armed forces currently consist of personnel Militaire S professionals, the conscription having been suspended since 2001, as well as personnel civilians.

In 2007, they count: 437000 personnel of which: 355000 soldiers subjected to the General status of the soldiers (: 38000 officers: 200000 Warrant officer S: 92000 soldiers of the row and: 25000 volunteers) and: 83000 civilians (contractual civils servant, and workmen of State). The reservists are with the number of: 56000; they should be more: 60000 at the end of 2007 to reach manpower targets: 94000 in 2012.

In comparison, the French Army counted in 1991: 300643 military careers: 241716 called and: 127778 civilians is a total of: 670137 men divided as follows:

Army: : 318080 men of which: 106814 soldiers: 173504 called and: 37762 civilians (47,5% of manpower).
Air force: : 98264 men of which: 57418 soldiers: 35443 called and: 5403 civilians (14,6% of manpower).
National marine: : 72425 men of which: 46197 soldiers: 19098 called and: 7130 civilians (10,8% of manpower).
National police: : 90245hommes of which: 78676 soldiers: 10602 called and 967 civilians (13,5% of manpower).
common Services: : 91123 men of which: 11538 soldiers: 3069 called and: 76516 civilians (13,6% of manpower).

Budget

The French Army (with the British Army) one of is equipped financially in Europe. Its Budget of defense in 2005 is of 46,2 billion dollars. The France devotes approximately 2% per annum sound GDP to its defense. In 2005, France finances 6,40% of the budget of NATO, that is to say more than 110 million euros. The budget of 2006 and 2007 is of 47,7 billion euros.

Always as comparison, the budget of the defense of 1991 frankly rose to 194,548 billion S (29,65 billion Euro S), with an average of 3,7% of its GNP during the period 1985-1990

Files

History

See the articles:

military History of France
Large army and Small foreign units of the Napoleonean army
History of the French navy
French Army in 1940
Free French Army
Armed with Vichy
French Army with the Release
French Forces with the interior
French Forces in Germany

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