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Armée de Terre)
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre (English: Land Army), is the land-based component of the French Armed Forces and its largest. As of 2008, the army employs 133,947 regular soldiers and 24 000+ civilians[1]. All soldiers are now considered professionals, following the suspension of conscription voted in parliement in 1997 and effective as of 2001.
During the professionalisation process, numbers dropped from the 1996 236,000 (132,000 conscripts) to around 140,000.[2] By June 1999, the Army's strength had dropped to 186,000, including around 70,000 conscripts. Thirty-eight of 129 regiments were planned to be stood down from 1997-99. The previous structure's nine 'small' divisions and sundry separate combat and combat support brigades were replaced by nine combat and four combat support brigades.
During the Cold War, the French Army, though not part of NATO's military command structure, actively planned for the defence of Western Europe.[3] II Corps (France) was stationed in South Germany, and effectively formed a reserve for NATO's Central Army Group. In the 1980s, III Corps headquarters was moved to Lille and planning started for its use in support of NATO's Northern Army Group. The Rapid Action Force of five light divisions was also intended as a NATO reinforcement force.
[edit] Organisation
The army is divided into different Corps or armes. These units retain both symbolic and non symbolic and administrative values.
The operational organisation of the Army combines units from various Corps in 17 Brigades.
[edit] Statistics
| French Armée de Terre statistics |
| Personnel (Regular Army) |
134,000 |
| Personnel (Reserve Forces) |
15,800 |
| Main Battle Tanks |
400 Leclercs (as of 2008), 17 AMX-30B2s |
| Tank destroyers |
192 ERC-90s, 300 AMX-10RCs |
| Reconnaissance vehicles |
1100 VBLs, |
| Infantry Fighting vehicles |
601 AMX-10Ps. To be replaced by the VBCI (550 combat version and 150 command version) |
| Armoured Personnel Carriers |
3,800 VABs |
| Artillery pieces and mortar |
105 TRF1s, 72 Caesar systems (currently being delivered), 134 AMX 30 AuF1s , 48 MLRSs, MO-120-RT-61 |
| Aircraft |
5 Pilatus PC-6 Porter, 12 Socata TBM700[4] |
| Helicopters |
80 Eurocopter Tigers (12 already delivered), 8 EC-725s, 18 AS-555s, 27 AS-532, 230 Gazelles, 90 SA-330s[4] |
| Mine detection |
5 Chubby (mine detection system) |
| Motorcycles |
Cagiva 350 T4 |
[edit] Principles and values
The principles and values of the French Army are formulated 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. (...) [5] |
” |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
