The Army Special Forces Command (french: Commandement des forces spéciales Terre, COM FST) regroups the various
special operations forces units of the
French Army 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, and prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.
The city is located in the heart o ...
.
History
The COM FST is the heir of the Independent Special Grouping () created in 1997 and then commanded the
1er RPIMa
The 1er Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine ( en, 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 Fren ...
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 ( en, 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment) or 13e RDP is a special reconnaissance regiment of the French Army. It is a unit of the French Army Special Forces Command, the latter itself being under the Spec ...
. The BFST conduct an annual exercise called ''Gorgones'' (
gorgons) 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, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
(
Opération Licorne) and
Afghanistan (
Mission Héraclès Mission Héraclès was a 2001 operation of the French Navy, in support of the War in Afghanistan against the Taliban. Its main tasks included the provision of security and order around Kabul as well as the training of the newly created Afghan Army.
...
).
The became the (COM FST, division level) on 1 July 2016.
Structure
* Army Special Forces Command, in
Pau
** Special Forces Command and Signals Company, in Pau ()
**
1st Marine Infantry Paratroopers Regiment, in
Bayonne
Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...
(_
**
13th Paratrooper Dragoons Regiment, in
Martignas-sur-Jalle
Martignas-sur-Jalle (; oc, Martinhàs de Jalas) is a commune in the Gironde department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France.
Historically, the town is known to have been the theater of the , where 500 to 600 longbowmen commanded by John Tal ...
()
**
4th Special Forces Helicopter Regiment
The 4e Régiment d'Hélicoptères des Forces Spéciales ( en, 4th Special Forces Helicopter Regiment) or 4e RHFS is a special operations unit of the French Army Light Aviation. It is part of the French Army Special Forces Command, therefore of the ...
, in Pau ()
** Special Operations Support Group, in Pau ()
** Special Forces Academy, in Pau ()
See also
*
List of French paratrooper units
External links
ShadowSpear Special Operations Community Website
{{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