Special Operations Command (France)

Special Operations Command
Commandement des Opérations Spéciales (COS)
Founded	24 June 1992
Country	France
Type	Special operations
Role	Provide fully capable special operations forces to defend France and its interests and plan and synchronize operations against terrorist networks
Size	3,746 authorized personnel 307 general staff 3,439 operatives
Part of	Ministry of Armed Forces
Headquarters	Balard, Paris, France
Nickname(s)	COS
Commanders
Current commander	Major General Éric Vidaud

The Commandement des Opérations Spéciales (COS; Special Operations Command) is the organisation which coordinates the use of the French special forces of all military branches (Army, Navy, and Air Force). Similar to USSOCOM or UKSF, COS was created on 24 June 1992, following the Gulf War. Its role is to direct and coordinate missions for special forces units; these are permanently under its direct command and immediately available for action. The command is led by a brigadier general or rear admiral, a NATO OF-6 post.

Organisation[]

Army[]

• Army Special Forces Command
  • 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (1^er RPIMa)
    • Command and Logistics Company
    • 1 SAS Company - 3rd dimension (HAHO/HALO and aquatic environments)
    • 2 SAS Company - Extreme environments
    • 3 SAS Company - Long Range Reconnaissance
    • 4 SAS Company - Urban warfare
    • Training company
  • 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment (13^e RDP)
    • ECP Squadron - Command and logistics
    • 1^e Squadron - Training and evaluation unit nicknamed "Intelligence Academy"
    • 2^e Squadron - Combat divers
    • 3^e Squadron - Extreme environments
    • 4^e Squadron - Desert warfare
    • 5^e Squadron - 3rd dimension specialist, high jumps (HAHO/HALO)
    • 6^e Squadron - Signals
    • 7^e Squadron - Intelligence
  • 4th Special Forces Helicopter Regiment (4^e RHFS)
    • Squadron 1 - equipped with 10 Cougar and 2 Puma helicopters
    • Squadron 2 - equipped with 12 Gazelle helicopters
    • Squadron 3 - equipped with 10 Caracal helicopters
    • Squadron 4 - equipped with 5 Puma helicopters
    • Squadron 5 - equipped with 2 Puma helicopters
    • Squadron 6 - equipped with 6 Tigre helicopters
  • Special Operations Support Group
  • Special Forces Academy

Navy[]

• Force des Fusiliers Marins et Commandos (FORFUSCO)
  • Commando "Jaubert" - Direct Action & Counter Terrorism
  • Commando "Trépel" - Direct Action & Counter Terrorism
  • Commando "de Penfentenyo" - Reconnaissance & Intelligence Operations
  • Commando "de Montfort" - Reconnaissance & Intelligence Operations
  • Commando "Hubert" - Underwater Combat (Combat Divers) and Counter-Terrorism
  • Commando "Kieffer" - Electronic warfare
  • Commando "Ponchardier" - Operational Support

Air Force[]

• Air Special Forces Brigade
• Air Parachute Commando n° 10, CPA 10 (French: Commando parachutiste de l'air n° 10)
• Air Parachute Commando n° 30, CPA 30 (French: Commando parachutiste de l'air n° 30)
• Division des Opérations Spéciales (DOS; "Special Operations Division")
  • Division des Opérations Spéciales/Transport (DOS/T; "Special Operations Division, Transport section") today, the Escadron de transport 3/61 "Poitou" – Uses C-130 Hercules and C-160 Transall.
  • Division des Opérations Spéciales / Hélicoptères (DOS/H; "Special Operations Division, Helicopter section"). Integrated into the 4th RHFS.

Other special operations forces under the command of DGSE's Action Division[]

The COS is not in charge of all special military units within the French Armed Forces. Action Division of France's Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) is responsible for planning and performing clandestine and covert operations including black operations. The core specialisations of the Action Division are sabotage, destruction of materiel, assassination, detaining/kidnapping, and infiltration/exfiltration of persons into/from hostile territory.

DGSE operatives are based in three so-called "training centres", officially not combat units then, which compose the Centre d'Instruction des Réservistes Parachutistes (CIRP, "Paratrooper Reservist Instruction Centre"):

• The Centre Parachutiste d'Entraînement Spécialisé (CPES, "Paratrooper Specialised Training Centre") in Cercottes for clandestine operations
• The Centre Parachutiste d'Instruction Spécialisée (CPIS, "Paratrooper Specialised Instruction Centre") in Perpignan for special commandos. The CPIS is the successor of the Centre d'entraînement à la Guerre Spéciale (CEGS, "Training Centre for Special Warfare")
• The Centre Parachutiste d'Entraînement aux Opérations Maritimes (CPEOM, "Paratrooper Training Centre for Maritime Operations") in Quelern, which instructs combat divers. The CPEOM is the successor of the Centre d'Instruction des Nageurs de Combat d'Aspretto.

See also[]

• List of special forces units
• List of French paratrooper units
• United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM or SOCOM) - US equivalent command
• United Kingdom Special Forces - British equivalent command
• Special Forces Command (KSK) - German equivalent command

External links[]

• Specwarnet.com
• Le.cos.free.fr (in French)
• Netmarine.net (in French)
• Dogs of the French Special Forces, published by Le Monde