This article lists the various overseas military bases of France . The maintenance of overseas military bases enable the French Armed Forces to conduct expeditionary warfare, and often tend to be located in areas of strategic or diplomatic importance.
In the French terminology, the "prepositioned forces" consist of the "sovereignty forces" based in the Overseas France and the "forces of presence" based abroad.
| Number in map above | Territory | Garrison | No. of personnel | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French Guiana | Les forces armées en Guyane (FAG) | 2,100 | [1] |
| 2 & 3 | Réunion & Mayotte | Les forces armées dans la zone Sud de l’océan Indien (FAZSOI) | 1,650 | [1] |
| 4 | New Caledonia | Les forces armées en Nouvelle Calédonie (FANC) | 1,400 | [1] |
| 5 | French West Indies | Les forces armées aux Antilles (FAA) | 1,000 | [1] |
| 6 | French Polynesia | Les forces armées en Polynésie française (FAPF) | 900 | [1] |
| 7, 8, 9 | French Southern and Antarctic Lands | Les forces armées dans la zone Sud de l’océan Indien (FAZSOI) | 250 | [1] |
| Number in map above | Country | Deployment | No. of personnel | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 |  Djibouti | Les forces françaises stationnées à Djibouti (FFDj) | 1,700 | [1] |
| 11 |  United Arab Emirates | Implantation militaire française aux Émirats arabes unis (IMFEAU) | 650 | [1] |
| 12 |  Gabon | Les éléments français au Gabon (EFG) | 450 | [1] |
| Number in map above | Country | Deployment | No. of personnel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13, 14 |  Germany | French Forces and Civilian Elements stationed in Germany (FFECSA) | 500 |
| Country | Deployment | No. of personnel | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
 Mali | 2,000 [2] | ||
 Burkina Faso | 400 | ||
 Central African Republic | 2,000 [3] | ||
 Niger | Niamey Air Force Base | 1,500 | |
 Senegal | 350 | ||
 Ivory Coast | Les forces françaises en Côte d'Ivoire (FFCI) | 600 | [4] |
The Cameroon Armed Forces are the military of the Republic of Cameroon. The armed forces number 40,000 personnel in ground, air, and naval forces. There are approximately 40,000 troops in the army across three military regions. Approximately 1,300 troops are part of the Cameroonian Navy, which is headquartered at Douala. Under 600 troops are part of the Air Force. There is an additional 12,500 paramilitary troops that serve as a gendarmerie or reconnaissance role.
The Armed Forces of Côte d'Ivoire are the armed forces of Ivory Coast, first formed after the country's independence in 1960.
The French Armed Forces are the military forces of France. They consist of four military branches – the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force and the National Gendarmerie. The National Guard serves as the French Armed Forces' military reserve force. As stipulated by France's constitution, the president of France serves as commander-in-chief of the French military. France has the ninth largest defence budget in the world and the third largest in the European Union (EU). It also has the largest military by size in the EU. As of 2021, the total active personnel of the French Armed Forces is 270,000. While the reserve personnel is 63,700, for a total of 333,000 personnel. Including the active personnel of the National Gendarmerie, the total men power of all the French Armed Forces combined is 435,000 strong. A 2015 Credit Suisse report ranked the French Armed Forces as the world's sixth most powerful military.
The French Air and Space Force is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the French Air Force. On 10 September 2020, it assumed its current name, the French Air and Space Force, to reflect an "evolution of its mission" into the area of outer space.
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army, is the principal land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, French Air and Space Force, and the National Gendarmerie. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Staff of the French Army (CEMAT), who is subordinate of the Chief of the Defence Staff (CEMA), who commands active service Army units and in turn is responsible to the President of France. CEMAT is also directly responsible to the Ministry of the Armed Forces for administration, preparation, and equipment.
Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport is a joint civilian/military-use airport situated in the town of Ambouli, Djibouti. It serves the national capital, Djibouti. The airport is located approximately 6 kilometres from the city centre. It occupies an area of 10 square kilometers.
The National Gendarmerie is one of two national law enforcement forces of France, along with the National Police. The Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior, with additional duties from the Ministry of Armed Forces. Its responsibilities include policing smaller towns, suburbs and rural areas, crowd and riot control, and criminal investigation, including cybercrime. By contrast, the National Police is a civilian law enforcement agency that is in charge of policing cities and larger towns. Because of its military status, the Gendarmerie also fulfills a range of military and defence missions. The Gendarmerie has a strength of around 102,269 people.
The 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade is a mountain infantry formation of the French Army. The brigade is subordinated to the 1st Armored Division and specializes in mountain warfare.
The Chief of the Defence Staff is the military head of the Armed Forces of the French Republic, overseeing all military operations. They are responsible to the Minister of the Armed Forces and their deputy is the Major General of the Defence Staff. Since the 1950s, the office has been held only by four-star generals (OF–9), either from the Army, the Navy, or the Air and Space Force. The current Chief is General Thierry Burkhard, who took the position on 22 July 2021.
The Camouflage Central-Europe is the standard camouflage pattern of the French Armed Forces.
Operation Serval was a French military operation in Mali. The aim of the operation was to oust Islamic militants from the north of Mali, who had begun a push into the center of Mali.
Opération Chammal is a French military operation in Iraq and Syria launched to help curtail the expansion of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and to support the Iraqi Army. Its name comes from the Shamal, a northwesterly wind that blows over Iraq and the Persian Gulf states.
On 15 June 2014 U.S. President Barack Obama ordered United States forces to be dispatched in response to the Northern Iraq offensive of the Islamic State (IS), as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. At the invitation of the Iraqi government, American troops went to assess Iraqi forces and the threat posed by ISIL.
The People's Liberation Army Support Base in Djibouti is a military base operated by China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), located in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa. It is the PLAN's first overseas military base and was built at a cost of US$590 million. The facility is expected to significantly increase China's power projection in the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean, as well as the PLAN's blue water capabilities.
Armed forces play a crucial role when responding to crises and emergencies. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, militaries were readily deployed in many countries to assist the civilian medical personnel and overwhelmed hospitals by creating additional hospitals and providing other additional resources. Apart from the management of the health crises, the pandemic has had a significant impact on the military operations. The security and defence related aspects including the missions, operations and training were adversely affected with the Covid-19. The broad spread of Covid can limit the defence forces' ability to carry out a mission. Many military training and exercises have been postponed or cancelled.
Operation Boma's Wrath was a military operation launched by Chad against Boko Haram. Operation was launched on March 31, 2020, one week after Boko Haram's attack on Chadian military base in which 92 Chadian soldiers were killed. Aim of the operation was to destroy hidden jihadist bases and repulse their forces out of Chad. Operation lasted 10 days and according to Chadian military it resulted in roughly 1000 insurgents killed, their bases in Chad destroyed, and capture of arms caches previously taken from Chad.
The Intelligence Command is a two-star command and military intelligence formation of the French Army formed following the end of the Cold War and expanded after the 2016 reorganisations.
