French Army

The French Army (French: Armée de Terre) is the land-based component of the French Armed Forces. It employs 138,000 men and women.

Organisation

The army is divided into the following armes:

• Marine troops, composed of:
  • Marine Infantry (Infanterie de Marine)
  • Marine Artillery (Artillerie de Marine)
  • Marine Armour (Chars de Marine)
• Foreign Legion (Légion étrangère)
• Armoured cavalry (arme blindée cavalerie)
• Artillery;
• Light aviation (ALAT, or aviation légère de l'armée de terre), such as combat helicopters;
• Military engineer (génie militaire);
• Infantry, including:
  • Chasseurs alpins (mountain troops)
• Materiel
• Transport (train)
• Transmission (telecommunications)
• Commissary
• Health service of the Army
• Petrol service of the Army

 

French soldiers of the IFOR in Mostar, 1995. A flak jacket is worn with the then-characteristic (and since widely exported) SPECTRA helmet. AMX 30 AuF1 armoured artillery in the background.

Principles and values

The principles and values of the French Army are exposed in the code du soldat français ("code of the French soldier") :

Mastering his own strength, he respects the opponent and is careful to spare populations. He observes orders while respecting laws, customs of war and international conventions (...) He is open to the world and the society and respects their differences ^[1]

See also

• Military of France
• Ranks in the French Army

References

1. Original French : Maître de sa force, il respecte l’adversaire et veille à épargner les populations. Il obéit aux ordres, dans le respect des lois, des coutumes de la guerre et des conventions internationales. (...) Il est ouvert sur le monde et la société, et en respecte les différences. : [1]

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Military equipment of France.

• Official website in French
• Uniform insignia of Armée de Terre
• Insignia of French units stationed in West Berlin during the Cold War