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 |  Ivory Coast | Les forces françaises en Côte d'Ivoire (FFCI) | 600 | [1] |
| 13 |  Gabon | Les éléments français au Gabon (EFG) | 450 | [1] |
| 14 |  Senegal | Les éléments français au Sénégal (EFS) | 350 | [1] |
| Number in map above | Country | Deployment | No. of personnel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15, 16 |  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 |
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. If we include 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 ATACMS is a tactical ballistic missile designed and manufactured by the US defense company Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV), and later Lockheed Martin through acquisitions.
The Compagnies républicaines de sécurité, abbreviated CRS, are the general reserve of the French National Police. They are primarily involved in general security missions, but the task for which they are best known is crowd and riot control. The DCCRS has seven units: in Paris, Lille, Rennes, Bordeaux, Marseille, Lyon and Metz.
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 European Gendarmerie Force (EUROGENDFOR) is a European rapid reaction force composed of elements of several European police and gendarmerie forces. EUROGENDFOR is tasked with performing policing tasks within the scope of crisis management operations.
The P4 is an unarmoured off-road vehicle used by the military of France. It was manufactured by Peugeot but is now manufactured by Panhard. It is to be replaced with the PVP by Panhard. The P4 is a derivative of the Mercedes Geländewagen military version built under license by Peugeot for the French military. Peugeot did not have a licence to export the vehicle anywhere else than to the countries bound to France by defence agreements.
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 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 Air Gendarmerie is the unit of the French Gendarmerie protecting the Air bases of the French Air and Space Force and investigating aviation accidents and incidents when a military aircraft is involved, whether it belongs to the Air force or to any other military branches.
The Camouflage Central-Europe is the standard camouflage pattern of the French Armed Forces.
Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (JBPHH) is a United States military base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is an amalgamation of the United States Air Force's Hickam Air Force Base and the United States Navy's Naval Station Pearl Harbor, which were merged in 2010.
The Japan Self-Defense Force Base Djibouti is a military base operated by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) located in Ambouli, Djibouti alongside the Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport.
BMC Vuran is a Turkish made Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle built by BMC. Vuran is designed and manufactured by the Turkish armored vehicle manufacturer BMC to meet the requirements of the Turkish Land Forces. Vuran means Striker in Turkish.
The Infantry Band is a military band of France based out of Lille. It is one of the six musical units of the Army Music Command. It is also operationally attached to the 43rd Infantry Regiment. It is currently led by Chef de Musique Martial Drapeau. Since 1 September 2016, it has been based in Lille as the first professional military brass band. It was originally established in 1638 as the Royal des Vaisseaux or Royal Vessel. It used to be known officially as the Band of the 43rd Infantry Regiment and the Musique des Forces Terrestres. Today it conducts ceremonies such as formal concerts and anniversary parades. In recent years, it has participated events such as the Quebec City Military Tattoo, the Memorial Day ceremonies at the Somme American Cemetery, and the Birmingham Tattoo. It has also visited countries such as Morocco, Georgia, Mexico.
The French forces in Djibouti (FFDj) (French: Les forces françaises stationnées à Djibouti, lit. 'The French forces stationed in Djibouti') is a French overseas military base. It constitutes one of the larger French military contingents outside France. The French military has remained present in Djibouti since the territory's independence. Starting June 1977 the conditions of the French forces were set by the framework of a provisional protocol (equivalent to a defense agreement). A new agreement has been in force since 2014. In December 2023, a new defense cooperation treaty is under discussion for renewal.
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