The Army Special Actions Command () regroups the various

special operations forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

units of the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, 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, Fren ...

and is the command charged with overseeing them. It is based in

Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pau (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune overlooking the Pyrenees, the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regions of France, region of Southwestern France. The city is locat ...

History

The CAST is the heir of the Independent Special Grouping () created in 1997 and then commanded the 1er RPIMa and a special operations flight belonging to the 4th command and manoeuvre helicopters regiment () of the ALAT. In 1998, the (DAOS, ALAT detachment for special operations) was created. The (BFST) was activated on 1 July 2002 and included the

13e RDP The 13e Régiment de Dragons Parachutistes () or 13e RDP is a special reconnaissance unit of the French Army. It belongs to the French Army Special Forces Command, and therefore to the Special Operations Command. The regiment is based in Mar ...

. The BFST conduct an annual exercise called ''Gorgones'' (

gorgon The Gorgons ( ; ), in Greek mythology, are three monstrous sisters, Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, said to be the daughters of Phorcys and Ceto. They lived near their sisters the Graeae, and were able to turn anyone who looked at them to sto ...

s) to ensure interoperability of the three units. The name ''Gorgones'' refers to the three units, as the three mythological figures. The BFST has supported the peacekeeping operation in

Côte d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest city and ...

( Opération Licorne) and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

( Mission Héraclès). The became the (COM FST, division level) on 1 July 2016. It became the (CAST) as of January 2024.

Structure

* Army Special Actions Command ** Special Forces Command and Signals Company, in Pau () **

1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment The 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment () or 1er RPIMa is a unit of the French Army Special Forces Command, therefore part of the Special Operations Command. Heirs to the Free French paratroopers of the 3rd and 4th squadrons of the Speci ...

, in

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

() ** 13th Paratrooper Dragoons Regiment, in Martignas-sur-Jalle () ** 4th Special Forces Helicopter Regiment, in Pau () ** Special Operations Support Group, in Pau () ** Special Forces Academy, in Pau ()

References

External links

ShadowSpear Special Operations Community WebsiteFrance runs secret special forces drill in event of deployment to Ukraine
Intelligence Online, January 15, 2025 (requires free registration) {{CFAT Special forces of France Brigades of France Military units and formations established in 2002 Military units and formations disestablished in 2016 Military units and formations established in 2016

History

Structure

See also

References

External links