View source for French Armed Forces

{{short description|Combined military forces of France}}
{{Infobox national military
| country = France
| name = French Armed Forces
| native_name = {{Lang|fr|Forces armées françaises}}
| image = [[File:Emblème de l'État-Major des armées (EMA).svg|200px]]
| alt = 
| caption = Emblem of the French Defence Staff
| image2 = 
| alt2 = 
| caption2 = 
| motto = 
| founded = 26 May 1445<br>({{age in years and days|1445|5|26}})
| current_form = 
| branches = {{tree list}}
*{{flagicon image|Logo of the French Army (Armee de Terre).svg|size=25px}} [[French Army]]
*{{flagicon image|LOGO MARINE NATIONALE 2021.svg|size=25px}} [[French Navy]]
*{{flagicon image|Logo de l'Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace.svg|size=25px}} [[French Air and Space Force]]
{{flagicon image|Gendarmerie nationale logo.svg|size=25px}} [[National Gendarmerie]]{{Tree list/end}}
| headquarters = [[Hexagone Balard]], Paris
| website = <!--{{URL|example.mil}}-->
<!-- Leadership -->| commander-in-chief = {{flagicon image|Standard of the President of France.svg|size=25px}} [[President of France|President]] [[Emmanuel Macron]]
| commander-in-chief_title = [[Chief of the Armed Forces (France)|Chief of the Armed Forces]]
| chief minister = 
| chief minister_title = 
| minister = {{flagicon image|Marque mindef.svg|size=25px}} [[Sébastien Lecornu]]
| minister_title = [[Minister of the Armed Forces (France)|Minister of the Armed Forces]]
| chief_of_staff = {{flagicon image|Marque CEMA.svg|size=25px}} [[Army general (France)|Général d'armée]] [[Thierry Burkhard]]
| chief_of_staff_title = [[Chief of the Defence Staff (France)|Chief of the Defence Staff]]
<!-- Manpower -->| age = 17.5
| conscription = None
| manpower_data = 
| manpower_age = 16–50
| available = 
| available_f = 
| fit = 
| fit_f = 
| reaching = 
| reaching_f = 
| active = 270,853 (2021) [https://www.defense.gouv.fr/chiffres-cles-defense-2021]
| reserve = 63,700 (including Gendarmerie) [https://www.defense.gouv.fr/chiffres-cles-defense-2021]
| ranked = 
| deployed = 
| amount = €61.8 billion ($63.7 billion)<br><small>(2025, including pensions)</small><br /> €50.5 billion ($52.1 billion)<br><small>(2025, excluding pensions)</small><ref name="Haushalt 2025">{{Cite web|url=https://www.defense.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/ministere-armees/Projet%20de%20Loi%20de%20Finances%202025%20-%20LPM%20ann%C3%A9e%202%20(10%202024).pdf#page=5|title=PROJET DE LOI DE FINANCES |publisher=Ministere Armees |accessdate=2025-01-05| language=fr}}</ref>
| percent_GDP = 2.06% (2024)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2024/6/pdf/240617-def-exp-2024-en.pdf#page=9/ |title=Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries (2014-2024) |publisher=nato.int|date=2024-06-17|accessdate=2024-06-18}}</ref>
<!-- Industrial -->| domestic_suppliers = {{plainlist|
*[[Airbus]]
*[[ArianeGroup]]
*[[Dassault Aviation]]
*[[MBDA]]
*[[Naval Group]]
*[[KNDS France]]
*[[Safran]]
*[[Thales Group|Thales]]
}}
| foreign_suppliers = {{flag|United States}}<br />{{flag|United Kingdom}}<br />{{flag|Brazil}}<br />{{flag|Switzerland}}<br />{{flag|Germany}}<br />{{flag|Netherlands}}<br />{{flag|Italy}}<br />{{flag|Norway}}<br />{{flag|Canada}}<br />{{flag|Belgium}}<br />{{flag|Austria}}
| imports = {{Currency|84 million|USD|passthrough=yes|linked=no}} (2014–2022)<ref name="SIPRI_India"/>
| exports = {{Currency|2.60 billion|USD|passthrough=yes|linked=no}} (2014–2022)<ref name="SIPRI_India">{{cite web|url=https://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/values.php|title=TIV of arms imports/exports data for France, 2014–2022|date=30 January 2024|work=[[Stockholm International Peace Research Institute]]}}</ref>    
<!-- Related articles -->| history = [[Military history of France]]<br />[[:Category:Wars involving France|Warfare directory of France]]<br />[[List of wars involving France|Wars involving France]]<br />[[:Category:Battles involving France|Battles involving France]]
| ranks = [[Ranks in the French Army|Army ranks]]<br />[[Ranks in the French Navy|Navy ranks]]<br />[[Ranks in the French Air and Space Force|Air and Space Force ranks]]
}}

The '''French Armed Forces''' ({{langx|fr|Forces armées françaises}}, {{IPA|fr|fɔʁs aʁme fʁɑ̃sɛːz|pron}}) are the [[military|military forces]] of [[France]]. They consist of four [[military branch]]es – the [[French Army|Army]], the [[French Navy|Navy]], the [[French Air and Space Force|Air and Space Force]], and the [[National Gendarmerie]]. The [[National Guard (France)|National Guard]] serves as the French Armed Forces' [[military reserve force]]. As stipulated by [[Constitution of France|France's constitution]], the [[president of France]] serves as [[commander-in-chief]] of the French military. France has the [[List of countries by military expenditures|ninth largest defense budget]] in the world and the second largest in the [[European Union]] (EU). It also has the [[List of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel|largest military by size]] in the EU.<ref name="SIPRI">{{cite web |url = https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/Milex-constant-2015-USD.pdf |title = Military expenditure by country, in constant (2015) US$ m., 2007–2016 (table) |publisher = [[Stockholm International Peace Research Institute]] |access-date= 18 August 2017}}</ref> As of 2021, the total active personnel of the French Armed Forces is 270,000. While the reserve personnel is 63,700 (including the National Gendarmerie), for a total of 333,000 personnel (excluding the active personnel of the National Gendarmerie). Including the active personnel of the National Gendarmerie, the total manpower of all the French Armed Forces combined is 435,000 strong.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.senat.fr/rap/r07-271/r07-2719.html#:~:text=La%20gendarmerie%20compte%20aujourd%27hui,l%27arm%C3%A9e%20de%20terre). | title=Quel avenir pour la gendarmerie ? | date=3 April 2023 }}</ref> A 2015 [[Credit Suisse]] report ranked the French Armed Forces as the world's sixth most powerful military.<ref name="CreditSuisse2015">{{cite report|url=http://publications.credit-suisse.com/tasks/render/file/index.cfm?fileid=EE7A6A5D-D9D5-6204-E9E6BB426B47D054|title=The End of Globalization or a more Multipolar World?|publisher=[[Credit Suisse]] AG|first1=Michael|last1=O’Sullivan|first2=Krithika|last2=Subramanian|date=2015-10-17|access-date=2017-07-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215235711/http://publications.credit-suisse.com/tasks/render/file/index.cfm?fileid=EE7A6A5D-D9D5-6204-E9E6BB426B47D054|archive-date=15 February 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|Military history of France}}

The military history of France encompasses an immense panorama of conflicts and struggles extending for more than 2,000 years across areas, including modern France, greater Europe, and [[French colonial empire|French territorial possessions overseas]]. According to British historian [[Niall Ferguson]], the French participated in 50 of the 125 major European wars that have been fought since 1495; more than any other European state. They are followed by the Austrians who fought in 47 of them, the Spanish in 44 and the English (and later British) who were involved in 43. In addition, out of all recorded conflicts which occurred since the year 387 BC, France has fought in 168 of them, won 109, lost 49 and drawn 10.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ferguson|first=Niall|date=2001|title=The Cash Nexus: Money and Power in the Modern World, 1700–2000; p.25-27|url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/135753.The_Cash_Nexus|access-date=2020-07-05|website=www.goodreads.com}}</ref>

The Gallo-Roman conflict predominated from 60 BC to 50 BC, with the Romans emerging victorious in the [[Gallic Wars|conquest of Gaul]] by [[Julius Caesar]]. After the decline of the [[Roman Empire]], a [[Germanic peoples|Germanic tribe]] known as the [[Franks]] took control of [[Gaul]] by defeating competing tribes. The "land of Francia," from which France gets its name, had high points of expansion under kings [[Clovis I]] and [[Charlemagne]]. In the [[Middle Ages]], rivalries with England and the [[Holy Roman Empire]] prompted major conflicts such as the [[Norman Conquest]] and the [[Hundred Years' War]]. With an increasingly centralized monarchy, the first standing army since Roman times, and the use of artillery, France expelled the English from its territory and came out of the Middle Ages as the most powerful nation in Europe, only to lose that status to Spain following defeat in the [[Italian Wars]]. The [[French Wars of Religion|Wars of Religion]] crippled France in the late 16th century, but a major victory in the [[Thirty Years' War]] made France one of the most powerful nations on the continent once more. In parallel, France developed its [[French colonial empire|first colonial empire]] in Asia, Africa, and in the Americas. Under [[Louis XIV]], France achieved military supremacy over its rivals, but escalating conflicts against increasingly powerful enemy coalitions [[War of the Spanish Succession|checked French ambitions]] and left the kingdom bankrupt at the opening of the 18th century.

[[File:Free French Foreign Legionnairs.jpg|thumb|right|[[Free France|Free French]] [[Legionnaire (disambiguation)|Legionnaires]] at the [[Battle of Bir Hakeim]] (1942)]]
Resurgent French armies secured victories in dynastic conflicts against the [[War of the Quadruple Alliance|Spanish]], [[War of the Polish Succession|Polish]], and [[War of the Austrian Succession|Austrian]] crowns. At the same time, France was [[French and Indian Wars|fending off attacks]] on its colonies. As the 18th century advanced, global competition with Great Britain led to the [[Seven Years' War]], where France lost its [[New France|North American holdings]]. Consolation came in the form of dominance in Europe and the [[American Revolutionary War]], where [[France in the American Revolutionary War|extensive French aid]] in the form of money and arms, and the [[Anglo-French War (1778–83)|direct participation of its army and navy]] led to America's independence.<ref name=aid>Richard Brooks (editor), ''Atlas of World Military History.'' p.&nbsp;101. "''Washington's success in keeping the army together deprived the British of victory, but French intervention won the war.''"</ref> Internal political upheaval eventually led to 23 years of nearly continuous conflict in the [[French Revolutionary Wars]] and the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. France reached the zenith of its power during this period, dominating the European continent in an unprecedented fashion under [[Napoleon Bonaparte]], but by 1815 it had been restored to its pre-Revolutionary borders. The rest of the 19th century witnessed the growth of the [[Second French colonial empire]] as well as French interventions in [[Ten Days' Campaign|Belgium]], [[First Carlist War|Spain]], and [[French intervention in Mexico (disambiguation)|Mexico]]. Other major wars were fought against [[Russian Empire|Russia]] in the [[Crimean War|Crimea]], [[Austrian Empire|Austria]] in [[Second Italian War of Independence|Italy]], and [[Prussia]] within France itself.

Following defeat in the [[Franco-Prussian War]], [[French–German enmity|Franco-German rivalry]] erupted again in the First World War. France and its allies were victorious this time. Social, political, and economic upheaval in the wake of the conflict led to the Second World War, in which the Allies were defeated in the [[Battle of France]] and the French government surrendered and was replaced with an [[Vichy France|authoritarian regime]]. The [[Allies of World War II|Allies]], including the government in exile's [[Free French Forces]] and later a liberated French nation, eventually emerged victorious over the [[Axis powers]]. As a result, France secured an [[Allied-occupied Germany|occupation zone in Germany]] and a permanent seat on the [[United Nations Security Council]].

The imperative of avoiding a third Franco-German conflict on the scale of those of two world wars paved the way for [[European integration]] starting in the 1950s. France became a [[Force de frappe|nuclear power]] with its [[Gerboise Bleue|first test of an atomic bomb]] in [[Algeria]] in 1960.<ref>{{cite news |title=France Explodes Her First A-Bomb in a Sahara Test |first=W. Granger |last=Blair |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0913F63C5916738DDDAA0994DA405B808AF1D3&scp=32& |newspaper=New York Times |date=13 February 1960 |page=1 |access-date=5 November 2010 }}</ref> Since the 1990s its military action is most often seen in cooperation with [[NATO]] and its European partners.

==International stance==
{{see also|France and weapons of mass destruction}}
Today, French military doctrine is based on the concepts of national independence, nuclear deterrence (''see [[Force de dissuasion]]''), and military self-sufficiency. [[France]] is a charter member of [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization|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 [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]] and other cooperative efforts. Paris hosted the May 1997 NATO-Russia [[Summit (meeting)|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 rationalisation of equipment and the [[arms industry in France|armaments industry]].

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|sinking of the ''Rainbow Warrior'']] strained French relations with its Allies, South Pacific states (namely [[New Zealand]]), 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 [[Pacific Ocean|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 [[land mine|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 programs 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]].

===White Papers===
{{main|2008 French White Paper on Defence and National Security}}

====2008====
On 31 July 2007, President [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] ordered M. Jean-Claude Mallet, a member of the Council of State, to head up a thirty-five member commission charged with a wide-ranging review of French defence. The commission issued its [[White Paper]] in early 2008.<ref>Official Presidential Website, [http://www.elysee.fr/elysee/elysee.fr/anglais/speeches_and_documents/2007/white_paper_on_defence_and_national_security_letter_to_m_jean-claude_mallet_member_of_the_conseil_d_etat.79322.html Letter of Engagement to M. Jean-Claude Mallet, 31 July 2007] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921130731/http://www.elysee.fr/elysee/elysee.fr/anglais/speeches_and_documents/2007/white_paper_on_defence_and_national_security_letter_to_m_jean-claude_mallet_member_of_the_conseil_d_etat.79322.html |date=21 September 2008 }}</ref> Acting upon its recommendations, President Sarkozy began making radical changes in French defense policy and structures starting in the summer of 2008. In keeping with post-[[Cold War]] changes in European politics and power structures, the French military's traditional focus on territorial defence will be redirected to meet the challenges of a global threat environment. Under the reorganisation, the identification and destruction of [[terrorist]] networks both in metropolitan France and in [[francophone Africa]] will be the primary task of the French military. Redundant military bases will be closed and new weapons systems projects put on hold to finance the restructuring and global deployment of intervention forces. In a historic change, Sarkozy furthermore has declared that France "will now participate fully in [[NATO]]," four decades after former French president General [[Charles de Gaulle]] withdrew from the alliance's command structure and ordered American troops off French soil.<ref>Jim Hoagland, "France's Whirlwind of Change", Real Clear Politics, 18 June 2008 [http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/06/sarkozy_on_the_move.html]</ref>

====2013====
{{Main|2013 French White Paper on Defence and National Security}}

In May 2014, high ranking defence chiefs of the French Armed Forces threatened to resign if the defence budget received further cuts on top of those already announced in the 2013 White Paper. They warned that further cuts would leave the armed forces unable to support operations abroad.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/natosource/french-military-heads-threaten-to-resign-over-grave-defense-cuts |title=French Military Heads Threaten to Resign Over 'Grave' Defense Cuts |last1=Samuels |first1=Henry |date=23 May 2014 |website=www.atlanticcouncil.org |publisher=Telegraph |access-date=27 May 2014}}</ref>

===Recent operations===
[[File:Opérations extérieures depuis 2001.png|thumb|right|upright=2.0|
{{Legend|#0000FF|France}}
{{Legend|#F0002B|French military interventions since 2001: [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|Afghanistan]]; [[2004 French–Ivorian clashes|Ivory Coast]]; [[Chadian Civil War (2005–10)|Chad]]; [[2011 military intervention in Libya|Libya]]; [[Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa|Somalia]]; [[Northern Mali conflict|Mali]]; [[Central African Republic conflict under the Djotodia administration|Central African Republic]]; [[Syrian Civil War|Syria]]; [[American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present)|Iraq]].}}
]]

There are currently 36,000 French troops [[Deployments of the French military|deployed]] in foreign territories—such operations are known as "OPEX" for ''Opérations Extérieures'' ("External Operations"). Among other countries, France provides troops for the United Nations force stationed in [[Haiti]] 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]]. In [[Opération Licorne]] a force of a few thousand French soldiers is stationed in [[Ivory Coast]] on a UN peacekeeping mission. These troops were initially sent under the terms of a mutual protection pact between France and the Ivory Coast, 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 defence. There are also naval and air personnel deployed offshore.

The French Joint Force and Training Headquarters (État-Major Interarmées de Force et d'Entraînement) at Air Base 110 near [[Creil]] maintains the ability to command a medium or large-scale international operation, and runs exercises .<ref>[http://www.defense.gouv.fr/ema/commandement/organismes_et_directions_interarmees/emia_fe/emia_fe] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100605155257/http://www.defense.gouv.fr/ema/commandement/organismes_et_directions_interarmees/emia_fe/emia_fe|date=June 5, 2010}}</ref> In 2011, from 19 March, France participated in the enforcement of a [[Libyan no-fly zone|no-fly zone]] over northern [[Libya]], during the [[2011 Libyan civil war|Libyan Civil war]], in order to prevent forces loyal to [[Muammar Gaddafi]] from carrying out air attacks on [[Anti-Gaddafi forces]]. This operation was known as [[Opération Harmattan]] and was part of France's involvement in the conflict in the NATO-led coalition, enforcing [[UN Security Council Resolution 1973]]. On 11 January 2013 France begun [[Operation Serval]] to fight Islamists in [[Mali]] and the [[Sahel Region|Sahal Region]] with African support but without NATO involvement and launched [[Operation Barkhane]] to combat terror in African Sahal from 2014 to 2022.

===Exercises===
[[File:French air force Dassault Rafale refuels from a U.S. Air Force KC-10 Extender.jpg|thumb|A [[Dassault Rafale]] refuels from a USAF KC-10 Extender]] 
France participates in several recurring exercises with other nations, including:
* [[South America air forces maneuvers|CRUZEX]], joint aerial combat training exercises in Brazil.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110719031120/http://www.fab.mil.br/portal/operacoes_aereas/cruzex/index.php?page=mostra&id=212&idioma=1 FAB In CRUZEX IV Coalition Force's backstage]</ref><ref>[http://www.fab.mil.br/portal/capa/cruzex.pdf FAB CRUZEX IV] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719031147/http://www.fab.mil.br/portal/capa/cruzex.pdf |date=2011-07-19 }} {{in lang|pt}}</ref>
* [[Caraibe 2013]], every two years in the Caribbean, centering on [[Martinique]] and [[Guadeloupe]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lc.ambafrance.org/FRENCH-MILITARY-EXERCISE-CARAIBE |title=FRENCH MILITARY EXERCISE – CARAIBE 2013 |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=3 May 2013 |website=La France dans la Caraïbe |publisher=Government of France |access-date= 8 May 2021}}</ref>
* [[Exercise Croix du Sud|Croix du Sud]], in New Caledonia every two years with Australia, New Zealand, the United States and other Pacific nations.
* [[Varuna (naval exercise)|Varuna]], an annual naval exercise with India.
* [[Air Defender 23|NATO Air Defender 2023]], the largest deployment exercise in NATO's history.
In 2023, Exercise Orion, the largest in decades, is to be held in the [[Champagne-Ardenne]] region. About 10,000 soldiers are expected to take part, along with the French navy and possibly forces from Belgium, Britain, and the United States.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/europe/2021/03/31/the-french-armed-forces-are-planning-for-high-intensity-war |title=The French armed forces are planning for high-intensity war |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=31 March 2021 |newspaper=The Economist |access-date=8 May 2021 |url-access= limited}}</ref>

==Personnel==
[[File:Hexagone Balard @ Ballon de Paris @ Parc André Citroën @ Paris (28745446201).jpg|thumb|[[Hexagone Balard]], the headquarters of the French Armed Forces]]
The head of the French armed forces is the [[President of France|President of the Republic]], in his role as ''[[chef des armées]]''. However, the Constitution puts civil and military government forces at the disposal of the ''[[Cabinet of France|gouvernement]]'' (the executive cabinet of ministers chaired by the [[Prime Minister of France|Prime Minister]], who are not necessarily of the same political side as the president). The [[Minister of the Armed Forces (France)|Minister of the Armed Forces]] oversees the military's funding, procurement and operations. 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). As of 2017 the French Armed Forces have total manpower of 426,265, and has an active personnel of 368,962 (with the [[Gendarmerie Nationale (France)|Gendarmerie Nationale]]).<ref name="Key figures in 2017">{{cite web |url=https://www.defense.gouv.fr/actualites/articles/chiffres-cles-de-la-defense-2017 |title=Chiffres clés de la Défense – 2017 |language=fr |publisher=Defense.gouv.fr |access-date=2018-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180218090228/https://www.defense.gouv.fr/actualites/articles/chiffres-cles-de-la-defense-2017 |archive-date=2018-02-18 |url-status=dead }})</ref>

It breaks down as follows (2022):<ref>{{Cite web |title=defense.gouv.fr |url=https://www.defense.gouv.fr/ |access-date=2022-03-28 |website=www.defense.gouv.fr}}</ref>
* The [[French Army]]; 118,600 personnel.
* The [[French Air and Space Force]]; 43,597 personnel.
* The [[French Navy]]; 36,044 personnel.
* Tri-service [[French Defence Health service|DHS]], [[Operational Energy Service (France)|SEO]], and [[Délégation générale pour l'armement|DGA]]; 17,647 personnel in medical, support and administrative roles, and in the acquisition of weapon systems.

The [[Military reserve forces of France|reserve element]] of the French Armed Forces consists of two structures; the Operational Reserve and the Citizens Reserve. As of 2022 the strength of the Operational Reserve is 25,785 personnel.<ref name="Key figures in 2017"/>

Apart from the three main service branches, the French Armed Forces also includes a fourth military branch called the [[National Gendarmerie]]. It had a reported strength of 103,000 active personnel and 25,000 reserve personnel in 2018.<ref name="gendarmerie2011">[https://www.gendarmerie.interieur.gouv.fr/Notre-communication2/Publications-Documentations/MemoGend/Memogend-2018], gendarmerie.interieur.gouv.fr, 2018</ref> They are used in everyday law enforcement, and also form a coast guard formation under the command of the French Navy. There are however some elements of the Gendarmerie that participate in French external operations, providing specialised law enforcement and supporting roles.

Historically the [[National Guard (France)|National Guard]] functioned as the Army's reserve national defense and law enforcement militia. After 145 years since its disbandment, due to the risk of terrorist attacks in the country, the Guard was officially reactivated, this time as a service branch of the Armed Forces, on 12 October 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/france-creates-national-guard-to-battle-terrorism|title=France creates National Guard to battle terrorism|first=Sylvie|last=Corbet|date=8 August 2017}}</ref>

Since 2019 young French citizens can fulfill the [[Civil conscription|mandatory service]] ''[[Service national universel|Service national universel (SNU)]]'' within the Armed Forces in the service branch of their choice.<ref>{{cite web|author=Text by: FRANCE 24 Follow |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20190616-france-trial-macron-new-compulsory-national-service-teen-military |title=France begins trial of compulsory civic service for teens |date=16 June 2019 |publisher=France24.com |access-date=2020-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Williamson |first=Lucy |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48755605 |title=France's raw recruits sign up for return of national service – BBC News |publisher=Bbc.com |date=2019-06-26 |access-date=2020-06-02}}</ref>

==Organisation and service branches==
Placed under the command of the staffs, the French [[Military|armed forces]] include the five [[Military branch|service branches]], the [[French Army|Army]], the [[French Navy|National Navy]], the [[French Air and Space Force|Air and Space Force]], the [[National Gendarmerie]], and the [[National Guard (France)|National Guard]], as well as the support services and joint organizations:<ref>{{Cite web|title=Article L3211-1 du code de la Défense|url=https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/WAspad/UnArticleDeCode?code=CDAFENSM.rcv&art=L3211-1|access-date=2022-02-23|website=www.legifrance.gouv.fr}}</ref>

===French Army (''Armée de terre'')===
{{main|French Army}}
{{See also|List of equipment of the French Army}}

* [[French Army Special Forces Command|Special Forces]]
* [[List of French paratrooper units|Airborne Units]] (''Troupes aéroportées'')
* [[Infantry]] (''Infanterie'')
* [[Armoured Cavalry Arm|Armoured Cavalry]] (''Arme blindée cavalerie'')
* [[Artillery]] (''Artillerie'')
* [[French Foreign Legion|Foreign Legion]] (''Légion étrangère'')
* [[Troupes de marine|Troupes de Marine]]
* [[French Army Light Aviation]] (''Aviation légére de l'armée de terre'', ''ALAT'')
* [[Engineering Arm|Engineers]] (''Génie'')
* [[Paris Fire Brigade]] (brigade des sapeurs-pompiers de Paris)
* [[Signal Corps (French Army)|Signal Corps]] (''Transmissions'')
* Transport and logistics (''Train'')
* [[Matériel (French Army)|Matériel]] (''Supply'')
* Intelligence (''Renseignement'')

<gallery>
File:SETC France’s Defensive Operations Lane (41661152745).jpg|A [[Leclerc tank|Leclerc]] tank during manoeuvres
File:Bastille Day Parade 2017, VBCI of the 16th battalion of chasseurs.jpg|[[Bastille Day]] military parade in Paris, 2017
File:Exercise Wessex Storm 2020 MOD 45167356.jpg|French soldier with a [[FAMAS]] rifle
File:AMX-10 RC, nouvelles couleurs Armée de terre (14 juillet 2021) (2).jpg|[[AMX-10 RC]] armoured fighting vehicle
File:FRF2 Afghanistan.JPG|Sniper with the [[FR F2 sniper rifle|FR F2]] rifle
File:French, US forces continue working side by side.jpg|A [[Eurocopter Tiger]] attack helicopter
</gallery>

===National Navy (''Marine nationale'')===
{{main|French Navy}}
{{See also|List of active French Navy ships}}

* [[List of French Paratrooper Units|Parachute Units of the French Navy]]
** [[Fusiliers Marins|Naval Infantry]] and [[naval commandos (France)|Naval Commandos]] (''Fusiliers Marins'')
* [[Aviation Navale|Naval Air Arm]] (''Aviation navale'')
* [[Submarine forces (France)|Submarine Force]] (''Forces sous-marines'')
* [[Force d'action navale|Naval Action Force]] (''Force d'action navale'')
* The [[Marseille Marine Fire Battalion]]

In addition, the [[National Gendarmerie]] form a Coast Guard force called the [[Maritime Gendarmerie|Gendarmerie Maritime]] which is commanded by the French Navy.

<gallery>
File:Temeraire1048.jpg|[[Triomphant-class submarine|''Triomphant'' class]] nuclear ballistic missile submarine
File:French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91) underway on 24 April 2019 (190424-M-BP588-1005).jpg|The aircraft carrier [[French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle|''Charles de Gaulle'' (R91)]]
File:French Frigate Forbin participates in Formidable Shield 2021 - 6665647.jpg|The destroyer [[French frigate Forbin|''Forbin'' (D620)]]
File:French frigate Auvergne (D654) underway in the Arabian Gulf on 19 September 2017 (170919-N-WM647-0667).JPG|The destroyer [[French frigate Auvergne|''Auvergne'' (D654)]]
File:FS Casabianca 03.jpg|Nuclear submarine [[French submarine Casabianca (S603)|''Casabianca'' (S603)]]
File:French amphibious assault ship Dixmude (L9015) underway off Cadiz in May 2015.JPG|French amphibious assault ship [[French ship Dixmude (L9015)|''Dixmude'' (L9015)]]
</gallery>

===French Air and Space Force (''Armée de l'Air et de l'Espace'')===
{{main|French Air and Space Force}}
{{See also|List of active military aircraft of the French Armed Forces}}

* [[French Space Command]]
* [[List of French Paratrooper Units|Parachute Units of the French Air and Space Force]]
** [[Fusiliers Commandos de l'Air|Air and space force ground troops]] (''Fusiliers Commandos de l'Air'')
** [[List of French Paratrooper Units|Paratroopers/Special forces]] (''Commando parachutiste de l'air'')
* Territorial [[Air Defence]]

<gallery>
File:A French air force Rafale aircraft breaks formation after refueling from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft assigned to the 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron (EARS) over an undisclosed 130317-F-BY961-185.jpg|A [[Dassault Rafale|Rafale]] multirole fighter aircraft
File:Mirage 2000D (cropped).jpg|A [[Dassault Mirage 2000N/2000D|Mirage 2000D]] fighter-bomber aircraft
File:Boeing E-3F Sentry (3).jpg|[[Boeing E-3 Sentry|Boeing E-3F Sentry]] AWACS aircraft
File:Airbus A330 MRTT F-UJCG - French Air Force.jpg|[[Airbus A330 MRTT|A330 MRTT]] strategic aerial refueling aircraft
File:French Air Force, F-RBAN, Airbus A400M-180 (49580307822).jpg|[[Airbus A400M Atlas]] transport aircraft
File:MQ-9 Reaper in flight (2007).jpg|[[MQ-9 Reaper]] combat UAV
</gallery>

===National Gendarmerie (''Gendarmerie nationale'')===
{{main|National Gendarmerie}}

* [[List of French Paratrooper Units|Parachute Units of the National Gendarmerie]]
* [[Departmental Gendarmerie|Gendarmerie Départementale (GD)]] – territorial police force
* [[Mobile Gendarmerie|Gendarmerie Mobile (GM)]] – anti-riot unit and counter-terrorism group ([[GIGN]])
* [[Republican Guard (France)|Garde républicaine]] – republican guard of France
* [[Air Transport Gendarmerie|Gendarmerie des Transports Aériens]] – airport security force
* [[Air Gendarmerie|Gendarmerie de l'Air]] – used for Air and Space Force security
* [[Maritime Gendarmerie|Gendarmerie Maritime]] – coast guard unit
* Provost Gendarmerie – provides military police services to French Armed Forces personnel in deployments outside France
* Overseas Gendamerie – provides military police services in the French overseas dependencies and territories, as well as to embassies of France abroad

The [[National Gendarmerie]] is primarily a military and airborne capable police force which serves as a rural and general purpose police force.

===National Guard (''Garde nationale'')===
{{main|National Guard (France)}}

Reactivated in 2016, the National Guard serves as the official primary military and police reserve service of the Armed Forces. It is placed under the jurisdiction of [[Ministry of Armed Forces (France)|Ministry of the Armed Forces]] and serves as a [[reserve force]]. It also doubles as a force multiplier for law enforcement personnel during contingencies and to reinforce military personnel whenever being deployed within France and abroad.

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Bastille Day Military Parade]]
* [[Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF)]]
* [[French Foreign Legion|Foreign Legion]]
* [[Troupes de Marine]]
* [[Military history of France]]
* [[National Office for Veterans and Victims of War]]
* [[The Lancaster House Treaties (2010)]]
* [[Lists of military equipment of France]]
* [[List of equipment of the French Army]]
* [[List of active military aircraft of the French Armed Forces]] {{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist|40em}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last=IISS |title=The Military Balance 2021|year=2021 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1032012278}}

==External links==
* [http://www.defense.gouv.fr/ Official site of the French Ministry of Defence]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170311223255/http://www.cfr.org/france/french-military-strategy-nato-reintegration/p16619 French Military Strategy and NATO Reintegration]—Council on Foreign Relations
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111023074200/http://www.opoccuu.com/france-ranks-insignia.htm French Army rank insignia]

{{French Military}}
{{France topics}}
{{Military of Europe}}
{{Militaries of European Union member states}}
{{North Atlantic Treaty Organization}}

[[Category:Military of France| 03]]
[[Category:1792 establishments in France]]
[[Category:Permanent Structured Cooperation]]