FORFUSCO is a

syllabic abbreviation An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word ''abbrevia ...

for the ''Force maritime des fusiliers marins et commandos'', headquartered in

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...

, is the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in th ...

organisation responsible for and in command of the Fusiliers Marins and

Commandos Marine The Commandos Marine are the special operation forces, Special Operation Forces (SOF) of the French Navy. The Commandos Marine are nicknamed ''Bérets Verts'' (Green beret, Green Berets). They operate under the FORFUSCO, Sailor Riflemen and S ...

. FORCUSCO is headed by a general officer with the title of Admiral'' commandant Les fusiliers marins et commandos'' (ALFUSCO). This force carries out: * Advanced force and reconnaissance operations from the sea *

Special operations Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...

* Protection of key sites and vessels of the

* Provision of security for elements of the naval forces. A 2,700-man strong force, the FORFUSCO is the fourth organic force of the French Navy.

Naval Fusiliers

Groups and companies of marines are dedicated to the protection of sensitive naval sites (eg military ports,

naval aviation Naval aviation is the application of Military aviation, military air power by Navy, navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft ...

bases, communications transmission stations,

ammunition depot An ammunition dump, ammunition supply point (ASP), ammunition handling area (AHA) or ammunition depot is a military storage facility for live ammunition and explosives. The storage of live ammunition and explosives is inherently hazardous. The ...

s). The marines are also an integral part of buildings as domestic service - called "bidellerie" in navy slang. There are seven companies of marines (CIFUSIL), which provide protection for the following sites: *Military port of

Cherbourg Cherbourg (; , , ), nrf, Chèrbourg, ) is a former commune and subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French department of Manche. It was merged into the commune of Cherbourg-Octeville on 28 ...

Submarine base A submarine base is a military base that shelters submarines and their personnel. Examples of present-day submarine bases include HMNB Clyde, Île Longue (the base for France's Force océanique stratégique), Naval Submarine Base Kings Ba ...

Île Longue Île Longue ( French for "Long Island") is a peninsula of the roadstead of Brest in the department of Finistère in the Brittany region. It is the base of the SNLE, the French ballistic missile submarines, and as such one of the most secretive an ...

and

pyrotechnics Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating such things as fireworks, safety matches, oxygen candles, Pyrotechnic fastener, explosive bolts and other fasteners, parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, quarry ...

in Guenvénez *

Naval aviation Naval aviation is the application of Military aviation, military air power by Navy, navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft ...

base in Lann Bihoué *Communications center in Rosnay, Indre *Communications center in Sainte-Assise,

Seine-et-Marne Seine-et-Marne () is a department in the Île-de-France region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square kilometres (2,284 square miles); it roughly covers its ...

*Communications center in

Villepinte France Villepinte may refer to: * Villepinte, Aude, a commune in southern France * Villepinte, Seine-Saint-Denis, a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France ** Villepinte station Villepinte is a station on the RER B's Airport branch. The ...

and

South Saissac South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*su ...

Aude Aude (; ) is a department in Southern France, located in the Occitanie region and named after the river Aude. The departmental council also calls it " Cathar Country" (French: ''Pays cathare'') after a group of religious dissidents active i ...

*Naval aviation base in Lanvéoc-Poulmic (unit created on 1 September 2011 after the closure of the naval aviation base in Nimes-Garons) *Naval Fusilier and Commando training center Lorient These seven companies send detachments who take turns every four to six months to ensure the protection of the communications centers of

Fort-de-France Fort-de-France (, , ; gcf, label= Martinican Creole, Fodfwans) is a commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. It is also one of the major cities in the Caribbean. Hi ...

, Mahina Mahina Super and around

Papeete Papeete ( Tahitian: ''Papeete'', pronounced ) is the capital city of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the French Republic in the Pacific Ocean. The commune of Papeete is located on the island of Tahiti, in the administrative subdivisi ...

, of Ouen Toro in Noumea, and

Rufisque Rufisque ( ar, روفيسك; Wolof: Tëngeéj) is a city in the Dakar region of western Senegal, at the base of the Cap-Vert Peninsula. It has a population of 179,797 (2002 census). In the past it was an important port city in its own right, b ...

near

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in ...

. They also support operations of the Naval Commandos (Commandos Marine), augment boarding and landing parties and provide military training to the French navy.

Navy Commandos

The Commandos Marine are trained to targeted actions in places where it is not feasible or appropriate to deploy a larger force. They are primarily used by the French Special Operations Command (COS) since 1992. They are seven in number: Commando Jaubert, Commando Ponchardier, Commando Trepel, Commando de Montfort, Commando de Penfentenyo, Commando Kieffer, and Commando Hubert, each with their own mission specialism. They have evolved to be broadly comparable to the British SBS.

External links

Marines and navy commandos
Site of the Navy
instruction n° 31/DEF/EMM/PL/ORA June 16, 2005 ron the organization of the FORFUSCO

Les fusiliers marins et les commandos marine - Musée
Site of the national Navy
Les fusiliers marins et les commandos marine - Magazine LE LIEN
Official Website Magazine
Les fusiliers marins et les commandos marine - École
School site marines marine commandos {{DEFAULTSORT:Forfusco French naval components

Naval Fusiliers

Navy Commandos

See also

External links