Today's Date:

2004 French Defense Budget: 32.4 billion Euros (+4.3% from 2003 to 2004, +7.5% from 2002 to 2003).

The total number of personnel working for the French Defense Department is 438,000, including 356,000 military professionals and 82,000 civilian personnel, in an all-volunteer force. The Army comprises 38 percent (132,000 active military), Navy - 12 percent (42,500 active military), Air Force - 16 percent (64,000 active military), Gendarmerie (national police under military statute) - 23 percent, and joint services - 11 percent.


1) Today, about 34,000 French troops are deployed overseas, including 12,000 participating in peace-keeping operations:

Côte d’Ivoire, 5,260 troops are currently deployed there. France has a permanent military presence in Côte d’Ivoire, under the terms of a defense agreement with that country. In the fall of 2002, under the terms of a United Nations resolution, France deployed around 4,000 troops there in order to prevent a civil war. Following the recent violent events in Côte d’Ivoire, 960 additional troops were deployed in November 2004. The current mission consists of protecting non-combatant foreigners and supporting UN forces in charge, inter alia, of monitoring the ceasefire and assisting the parties in undertaking DDR;


Kosovo, 3.000 (16% of KFOR), and Bosnia-Herzegovina, 500 (6% of SFOR). In the Balkans, France is the third largest contributor to NATO operations after Germany and Italy;


Afghanistan, 1,800 French troops make France the second largest partner of the United States in Afghanistan after Germany. French contributions include troops deployed through the International Security and Assistance Force (950, 10.5% of ISAF), training of the Afghan national army, Operation Enduring Freedom on the ground (special forces), at sea (2 frigates, 1 tanker, and 1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft), and in the air (2 transport aircraft, 3 reconnaissance jet fighters and 1 tanker);

Africa, 1,000 troops in Chad and 200 in the Central African Republic contribute, at the invitation of both governments, to the stability of these countries and to the training of their armed forces for peace-keeping operations;

• - To Address the Humanitarian Crisis in Darfur, Sudan, France mobilized military transport capabilities in Chad (airplanes, helicopters) for humanitarian relief operations. French airplanes lifted 700 tons of humanitarian aid (400 hours of flight, 160 rotations at a cost of about $2.2 million). In addition, 200 French troops in Chad contribute to the stabilization of the Chad/Sudan border through patrols in Chad and along the border between the two countries. Furthermore, French F-1 Mirages, stationed with French troops in Chad, carry on daily reconnaissance missions on the Chadian side of the Chad-Sudan border. France is also supporting the deployment of the African Union mission in Darfur: a French colonel is vice president of the AU’s ceasefire monitoring commission, which also receives French logistical and medical support. Two French Army officers are part of the Abeche monitoring team, and two more French army officers are working with the AU planning unit in Addis Ababa; while the American C130 carrying the African troops to Darfur were refuelled by French forces in Abeche, Chad, and

  - Other Multinational Peacekeeping Operations. 700 French military and police observers, staff or support personnel are deployed in Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Kosovo, Haiti, Western Sahara, the Sinai, Israel, Democratic Republic of Congo, Georgia, Liberia, the border between Eritrea and Ethiopia, Burundi, Bosnia Herzegovina, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
  

  2) France Currently has Commanding Officers in Three NATO Operations.

  - France fully participates in the NATO transformation by being one of the major contributors to the NATO Response Force. Further, France contributes to all the Atlantic Alliance’s operations with a significant number of troops. Some 36,000 allied military personnel are presently deployed in the various NATO operations throughout the world.

  - With about 4,300 troops, France is the third largest Member State contributor to NATO operations after Germany (6,800), and Italy (5,200), and contributes more troops than the United States (3,000) and the United Kingdom (1,800).
  
  - France has recently taken command of two NATO operations, and has increased its troop deployments.
  
  - In August, the EUROCORPS, under the command of a French officer, Lieutenant General Py, assumed command of ISAF. Concurrently, the Franco-German brigade is in charge of the multinational brigade in Kabul.
  
  - In September, another French general, Major General de Kermabon, took command of a second major NATO operation, KFOR in Kosovo. Additionally, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the SFOR reorganization led France to assign a general, Brigadier General Chéreau, to head one of the three multinational Task Forces.
  
  
  3) France is Actively Involved in Afghanistan.

  - A total of 1,800 French troops are involved in the stabilization of Afghanistan, including the French Navy’s contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom.

  - 950 French troops are deployed in that country as part of the International Security Assistance Force. France is also playing a significant role in training the Afghan national army, alongside the U.S. and the United Kingdom, having initially organized three Afghan battalions of 500 men and being presently involved in the training of all Afghan officers. Additionally, 200 special troops are involved alongside American troops in the fight against the remnants of the Taliban regime in southern Afghanistan.

  - In the wake of the 9/11 tragedy, France offered its military resources and capabilities to support the American-led military campaign, Operation Enduring Freedom, in Afghanistan. Immediately, the exchanges of information between our naval commanders increased, particularly in the Indian Ocean, thus intensifying the fight against all types of trafficking.

  - Since October 21, 2001, French reconnaissance aircraft and air tankers have contributed to the air campaign over Afghanistan. They were reinforced from the winter of 2001 to the summer of 2002 by French naval aviation forces and French Air Force transport planes and fighters. France was, indeed, the only country, along with the United States, to have flown bombing missions over Afghanistan in direct support of American ground troops, in particular during Operation Anaconda. From October 23, 2001 to September 30, 2002, a total of 12,000 flying hours were conducted in support of operations in Afghanistan. The Mirage 2000D and Super Etendard destroyed 33 targets linked to Al Qaeda or the Taliban regime in direct support of American Special Forces. Today, 130 military are based in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, helping to operate the airport and supporting 2 transport aircraft engaged in the support of the French contingent in Afghanistan.

  - French forces arrived early on the ground in Afghanistan. From December 2, 2001 to January 27, 2002, a reinforced company secured in Mazar-e-Sharif the detachment of U.S. engineers repairing the airfield in order to fly in humanitarian assistance. In total, some 5,500 French soldiers were sent to the region.
  
  - The French Navy continues to patrol the Gulf of Aden and the Gulf of Oman. It has been monitoring commercial sea lanes, detecting and boarding suspicious vessels, as well as escorting coalition boats through the area since December 2001. France is the second largest contributor to the maritime task force in charge of this mission.
  
  
  4) With 33,000 Troops Overseas, France is a Major U.S. Partner in Advancing Security Throughout the World.

  - In the broader context of international security, France is working closely with the U.S. military to control proliferation and drug trafficking. The French Armed Forces in the Caribbean are closely coordinating with the U.S. Joint Inter Agency Task Force South to counter drug trafficking. The 7,000 French troops in the French Caribbean and Guyana play a major role in this matter. They also made up the bulk of the French contribution to the multinational interim force in Haiti (870 servicemen, 24% of MIFH), which was recently terminated.

  - France became a full partner in the Proliferation Security Initiative, following President Bush’s initiative. France offered air control training exercises, as well as contributions to, and organization of, naval exercises. Last year, the French Navy also led a PSI exercise, code-named Basilic, in Toulon.

  - 10,000 French forces are present in the Pacific region and the Southern Indian Ocean, where they are controlling sea lanes and protecting important areas for the preservation of natural wealth. They are also able to assist countries of the region ravaged by conflicts or natural disasters, such as the East Timor crisis or typhoons in Madagascar.

  - For years, France has been involved in operations in Africa, hence contributing to international security and stability. 5,000 French troops are stationed in Djibouti, Gabon and Senegal under bilateral agreements. Through their presence and their training programs, they contribute to peace and security on the continent. In 2003, at the request of the UN Secretary General, France was the lead nation under the European Union flag, for a peace-making operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Today in Côte d’Ivoire, under the UN mandate given by resolution 1464, France continues to deploy 5,260 military, alongside a UN force (including 200 French Blue Helmets), at the initial request of the parties, to help build trust between them and implement a long-term political settlement. At the start of the conflict, French forces evacuated civilians of various nationalities, among them a large number of American citizens. France conducted the same type of non-combatant evacuation operation in Liberia, saving other American lives a few months later, in close coordination with American forces.

  - Finally, the French Armed Forces are actively engaged in France’s homeland security missions. The totality of the Gendarmerie (100,000), with the exception of those participating in international peace operations, participates in that effort, while still fulfilling its policing role. Moreover, 1,000 personnel from the French Army, Navy, and Air Force are involved in securing major public facilities, maritime approaches, and national airspace.