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New Caledonian Armed Forces

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Insignia of the Pacific Marine Infantry Regiment of New Caledonia (RIMAP NC)
Order of battle of the Pacific Marine Infantry Regiment

The New Caledonian Armed Forces or FANC is the name by which the French armed forces based in New Caledonia are referred to and also is a subdivision of the French armed forces.

Command

The FANC is commanded by the Commanding Officer FANC (COMSUP FANC), who is under the command of the Chief of the Defence Staff. The Commanding officer is usually a Brigade general. The command is headquartered in Nouméa.

Composition

The forces number 1750 from the 3 branches of the armed forces (excluding the Gendarmerie) of which 1200 are permanent.[1]

  • Army: The Pacific Marine Infantry Regiment (RIMAP-NC) has 3 bases. About 80 percent of the 700-member regiment is composed of soldiers on short-term (four month) deployments from metropolitan France. As of 2018, only about 30 personnel in the regiment were locally recruited.[2][3]
  • Navy: Based at the Pointe Chalaix Naval Base, the flagship is Vendémiaire (F734). Other elements of the naval contingent include: the patrol and support vessel D'Entrecasteaux and Auguste Benebig, the lead ship of the Félix Éboué class of patrol vessels. The French Navy will further reinforce its offshore patrol capabilities in New Caledonia by deploying a second vessel of the Félix Éboué-class (Jean Tranape) to the territory by 2025.[4][5] One Engins de Débarquement Amphibie – Standards (EDA-S) landing craft is also to be delivered to naval forces based in New Caledonia by 2025. The landing craft is to better support coastal and riverine operations in the territory.[6]
  • Air Force and Naval Aviation: Based at the Paul Klein Air Base (BA 186). As of the latter 2010s, French naval aviation and air force elements in New Caledonia included two Navy Falcon 200 Gardian maritime surveillance aircraft (drawn from Flotilla 25F), which are to be replaced by the more modern Falcon 2000 Albatros starting in 2025,[7] and two Casa CN235 transport aircraft and three Puma helicopters from the Air Force's 52 “Tontouta” Squadron.[8][9] Prior to 2022, the frigate Vendémiaire operated the Alouette III helicopter. However, with the retirement of the type in 2022, it is being replaced by the Eurocopter Dauphin N3.[10][11] In 2022, the French Air Force demonstrated a capacity to reinforce the territory by deploying three Rafale fighters, supported by A400M transport aircraft and A330 MRTT Phénix tankers, from France to New Caledonia for a three-week exercise.[12][13]

Responsibilities

  • National defence and security
  • Protection of France's regional interests
  • Support state policies in New Caledonia and Wallis et Futuna.
  • Rescue missions
  • Aid and cooperation with other states in the region

Gendarmerie nationale

The paramilitary police has its own command structure. Some 855 personnel from the National Gendarmerie are stationed on the archipelago divided into 4 companies, 27 brigades and several specialized and mobile Gendarmerie units. During periods such the 2021 referendum on independence, these forces have been significantly reinforced with personnel deployed from metropolitan France.[14] The air component includes two Écureuil helicopters[15] while the Maritime Gendarmerie deploys the patrol boat Dumbea (P606) in the territory.[16]

See also

References

  1. ^ (in French)Présentation des FANC sur le site officiel Archived 2016-11-18 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Lagneau, Laurent (19 September 2018). "Le Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine du Pacifique-Nouvelle Calédonie se distingue lors d'un exercice en Australie; Zone Militaire".
  3. ^ "Forces Armées de Nouvelle-Calédonie [FANC]". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  4. ^ Tanguy, Jean-Marc (4 August 2022). "New French overseas patrol vessels set for 2023 service entry". Shepherd. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  5. ^ Groizeleau, Vincent (21 September 2022). "POM : Le premier patrouilleur reprend ses essais à Brest, le second en achèvement à Boulogne". Mer et Marine (in French). Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  6. ^ "First Two EDA-S Next Gen Amphibious Landing Craft Delivered to French DGA". 25 November 2021. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  7. ^ "French Navy to receive new eyes in the sky from Dassault". www.aerotime.aero. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  8. ^ "Forces armées en Nouvelle-Calédonie; Ministère des Armées".
  9. ^ "FANC – Bilan du déploiement du BSAOM D'Entrecasteaux dans le Pacifique Sud; Ministère des Armées". 10 February 2023.
  10. ^ "French Navy will receive first three Airbus Dauphin N3 at December 1". Air & Cosmos (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  11. ^ "Marine Nationale Dossier d'Information, p. 23" (PDF). Cols Bleus (in French). January 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  12. ^ "French Air and Space Force Rafales Train Alongside Royal Australian Air Force Growlers". MilitaryLeak. 2022-08-27. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  13. ^ "France successfully conducts long-range strategic deployment to Asian-Pacific region". ac.nato.int. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  14. ^ Nouméa, Julien Sartre in (2021-12-07). "Covid, mourning and the spectre of violence: New Caledonia prepares for blighted independence vote". the Guardian. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  15. ^ "COMGEND - Commandant de la gendarmerie pour la Nouvelle-Calédonie et les îles Wallis et Futuna / Sécurité / Services de l'État / Accueil - Les services de l'État en Nouvelle-Calédonie". www.nouvelle-caledonie.gouv.fr. Retrieved 2022-11-18.
  16. ^ "Vedette Côtière de Surveillance Maritime (VCSM) Boats". Homelandsecurity Technology. Archived from the original on 7 December 2021. Retrieved 2022-08-28.

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