National marine (France)

See also: History of the French navy

Missions

Dissuasion

• to prevent a questioning of survival of the France by a hostile major power;
• to face the threats which could make weigh of the regional powers equipped with weapons of massive destruction on the vital interests of France by the threat of a nuclear striking of response.

The Stratégie of dissuasion remains in the middle of national defense. The objective of the nuclear doctrines remains nevertheless that of not-employment. The French nuclear capacity rests on:

• the ballistic missiles which equip SNLE;
• aerodynamic missiles (ASMP) for the airborne component to which the planes of the Air force belong and of the naval Aéronautique.

See also: Force of French nuclear deterrence

Action

The operational action gathers the missions of prevention and projection of power or forces.

Prevention

• Atlantic Northern
• the Mediterranean
• Indian Ocean
• DOM, TOM and ZEE

France has many interests throughout the World. To defend them, of the forces prépositionnées permanently except metropolis made up of 25 ships (frigates of monitoring, of buildings of light transport, patrol craft), 12 planes and helicopters, of the commandos are deployed on all the oceans. They ensure presence and vigilance near the hotbeds of tension (zones of crisis) or on a purely permanent basis in the Outre-Mer territories.

Projection

The main actors of these forces of projection are articulated around:

• of the air and sea group
• of the amphibious group
• of the group of hunting for the mines
• of a maritime action group (one or more frigates)

Projection can be of two types:

• projection of forces: action with grounding of troops
• projection of power: action without grounding of troops

Maritime safeguard

It is a question of ensuring the protection and the safety of the maritime approaches of the national territory, to control the risks related to the maritime activity (sea accidents, Pollution, monitoring of ZEE…) and to fight against the illicit activities at sea (Terrorism, narcotrafic, Piracy, illicit transport of migrants…). The maritime safeguard at sea constitutes the contribution of the national marine to the Action of the State; one still speaks about public service missions for these activities not specifically military.

The maritime Sauvegarde represents 25  % of the activities of the marine.

Organization

Organization of the command

Operational command

For the operations concerned with the Action of the State at sea, they are implemented by the maritime police chiefs under the authority of the Prime Minister who has the General secretary of the sea.

For military operations, the maritime forces, like the whole of the armed forces, are under the operational command of the Chief of staff of the armies (CEMA). The Chief of staff of the navy (CEMM) is the adviser of CEMA for the use of the naval and air and sea means.

To facilitate the control of the operations, CEMA generally indicates operational controllers charged to deploy the forces which are affected for them and to give them orders necessary to achieve the mission fixed by CEMA.

The operational controllers are:

• is, a general officer appointed for the circumstance for a particular mission (heavy operations in general);
• is, in a permanent way, the commanders of maritime zone who ensure the operational control of the forces deployed in their zone of competence:
• in metropolis:
• the commander of the Atlantic maritime zone (CECLANT)
• the commander of the maritime zone the Mediterranean (CECMED)
• the commander of the maritime zone Handle and the North Sea (COMAR HANDLE)
• and overseas
• the commander of the maritime zone Indian Ocean (ALINDIEN)
• the commander of the maritime zone Pacific Ocean (ALPACI)
• is, for the deployment of SNLE, the commander of the strategic oceanic Force (ALFOST)

Organic command

Like the other chiefs of staff of armies, the Chief of staff of the navy (CEMM) is responsible in front of the CEMA and the minister for defense of the organization, the preparation, the use of its forces as well as theirs programming.

These forces are divided into four large components:

• the Force of naval action (FAN);
• the underwater Forces (FSM);
• the Naval air force (AVIA);
• the maritime Force of the marine fusiliers and commandos (FORFUSCO).

Forces

For the list of the units of the marine currently in service, to consult:

• the French fleet to the 1 {{er}} January 2006

See also: List of the ships of the French navy, List of the units of naval aeronautics

The force of naval action (FAN)

See also: Force of naval action

The force of naval action gathers the forces of surface. It includes/understands 12.000 sailors and a hundred buildings. It provides the essence of the contribution of the marine to the missions of prevention and projection. It is placed under the command of an admiral (ALFAN).

It includes/understands seven main categories of buildings of surface:

• the air and sea Group: the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and her accompaniment;
• the amphibious group: buildings of unloading;
• of the frigates: anti-aircraft frigates, frigates of anti-submarine fight, frigates of the Class Fayette and A69 sloops;
• the force of war of the mines: hunters of mines
• of the buildings of public service (or of sovereignty): frigates of monitoring and patrol craft;
• of the buildings of support;
• of the hydrographic and oceanographical buildings.

The underwater Forces (FSM)

See also: strategic oceanic Force

• the strategic oceanic force (FOST):

• nuclear Underwater of attack:

The whole of the underwater forces is placed under the command of the admiral ordering FOST (ALFOST).

All the submarines are equipped with two crews to allow their deployment the sea more than 200 days per annum (called " Bleu" and " Rouge").

Naval air force (AVIA)

See also: Naval air force

The Naval air force (in the past Aeronautical naval) account 162 aircraft and 6.800 people, like six bases of naval aeronautics (ROUND OF APPLAUSE): Landivisiau, Lann-Bihoué, Hyères, Nimes-Let us park, Lanvéoc-Poulmic and Tontouta (New Caledonia).

• the embarked air group, intended to arm the aircraft carrier is composed of four flotillas with Rafale , Super-Standard and E-2C Hawkeye ;
• of the helicopters embarked on the frigates, mainly of the Panther and Lynx ;
• of the helicopters of public service and rescue at sea, based with ground, of the Super-Frelon and Dolphin ;
• of the planes of maritime patrol (two flotillas of Atlantic II) and of maritime surveyance (three flotillas of Gardian , Falcon 50 and Northern 262E );
• an aviation of support which ensures of the missions of transport and drive and formation.

Marine fusiliers and commandos (FORFUSCO)

See also: maritime Force of the marine fusiliers and commandos

They are gathered within a force based with Lorient and count 1  700 people. This force takes part in terrestrial operations starting from the sea, of intervention at sea in the framework of the missions of safeguard, of the operations of special forces, the protection of the hot sites. It includes/understands two components:

• the Commandos marinades which include/understand five specialized commandos: Jaubert (attack), Trepel (attack), of Penfentenyo (recognition), of Montfort (remote support and destruction) and Hubert (plunger of combat). They are often deployed under the authority of the Commandement of special operations (COS).
• trainings in load of protection-defense: two groupings (Brest and Toulon) and seven companies.

Other components and services

The battalion of sailor-firemen of Marseilles (BMPM)

See also: Battalion of sailor-firemen of Marseilles

The battalion of sailor-firemen of Marseilles (BMPM) is a unit of the national marine placed under the direction of the mayor of Marseilles and ordered by a general officer of navy. It ensures of the missions of civil security on the Marseilles agglomeration.

Coastguard

See also: Coastguard

Component of the national police, the coastguard is put for employment near the Chief of staff of the navy. It ensures:

• of the missions of maritime safeguard and general police force in territorial water and the ZEE, under the authority of the Maritime police chief;
• of the missions of judicial police under the authority of the public prosecutor;
• of the missions of protection of the establishments of the marine with ground.

Its manpower counts 1.500 people and it has about thirty patrol craft and high-speed motorboats distributed on all the littoral.

Hydrographic and oceanographical service of navy (SHOM)

See also: hydrographic and oceanographical Service of the navy

the hydrographic and oceanographical Service of navy (SHOM) has a public service mission of Hydrographie and marine Cartographie and a mission of support for the naval forces of Océanographie and military Météorologie.

Service of the police station of the navy (SCM)

• organizes the logistical support of the forces:
• replacements;
• material techniques or of common employment;
• combustible;
• clothing;
• vivres and restoration;
• ensures the financial administration;
• exerts the functions of legal council;
• payments of the administrative dispute;
• participation in the development of the relative texts to the Right of the sea and the action of the State at sea.

Service of support of fleet (SSF)

• pilot all programmed maintenance and the repairs carried out by:
• the crews
• military workshops of the fleet
• the industry, whose particularly DCNS
• ensures the logistical support of the ammunition
• ensures the management of the configuration of the buildings and the associated materials.

Service of the information systems of Navy (SERSIM)

See also: Service of the information systems of the Navy

Preparation of the future

It envisages mainly:

• a second aircraft carrier known as Pa 2; with traditional propulsion, built in co-operation with the British. Its construction should begin in 2007 for an admission with the active service in 2015.
• the renewal from the nuclear Sous-marins from attack (SNA): it is about the program Barracuda (6 units equipped with torpedes and Missile S of cruising).
• 2 anti-aircraft frigates of type Horizon built in co-operation with Italy; equipped with the missile ASTER . They must be completed in 2007 and 2008
• the renewal of the frigates with the program FREMM (European frigate multi-missions) in co-operation with Italy. It envisages the construction of 17 buildings, of two types: underwater action and action towards the ground (cruise missile).
• the fourth SNLE /NG and admission with the service of the missile M-51

Personnel

Because of professionalisation, manpower of the navy passed between 1996 and 2002, of: 70000 with: 55000 soldiers and civilians.

This personnel is divided into: 5150 officers: 29000 officers marines: 8400 leading seamen and sailors and: 10000 civilians. : 5000 women are useful today in the navy, that is to say 11,3  % of military manpower.

Each year, to maintain an average age young (31 years), guaranteed its operational capacity, the navy recruits approximately: 3600 young people.

Bases and the infrastructure

The naval bases are with the number of:

• 3 in metropolis: Brest, Cherbourg and Toulon
• 5 overseas: Dégrad-Of-Cannes (Guyana), Fort-de-France (Martinique), Noumea (New Caledonia), PAPEETE (French Polynesia) and Port-of-Rollers (the Meeting).

These bases have for mission of accommodating the buildings stationed and of passage and of providing them a support (protection, safety, administration, restoration and hotel trade, technical support…). They have repair shops, of companies of sailor-firemen and detachments of marine fusiliers.

With these naval bases, it is advisable to add the underwater base of the Long Île and the ROUND OF APPLAUSE, already quoted.

The navy also has rented installations at the local governments with Dakar and Djibouti.

To these bases, various installations distributed on all the territory are added of which in particular:

• of the centers of telecommunications;
• a network of semaphores on the littoral which contributes to the maritime mission of safeguard and the monitoring of coastal water.

Traditions

Houses, marks and flames

See also: Houses and marks of the national marine

See too

Internal bond

• Warship
• Naval officer
• Petty officer
• National museum of the Navy
• History of the French marine
• current Expressions of the marine language
• List of the bases of the National marine
• Specialities of the National marine

External bonds

Official sites

• the official site of the National marine
• the site of recruitment of the National marine

History - Strategy

• French navy, 1965-2015 per Jean Bétermier. Institute of Compared Strategy, French Commission of Military History, Institute of History of the Contemporary Conflicts.

Gates

• National marine - Alabordache National marine on Alabordache
• Meretmarine.com All maritime topicality
• Net-Navy Association on the National marine
• Search for marine friends
• French Fleet Air ARM, on French naval Aeronautics
• commandos of Free France - Codo Kieffer 1942-1945

• TCD /Batiment Storm of the French national marine

• TCD the /Batiment Lightning of the French national marine
• TCD /Batiment Sirocco of the French national marine
• BPC /Batiment Mistral of the French national marine
• BPC /Batiment Thunder of the French national marine