Atakor Fri Feb 12, 2016 8:22 am
There are between 170 000 and 220 000 men and women in the land forces, 90% (if not more) of them being professional soldiers. They are really experienced when it comes to counter-terrorism in various kind of terrain, from the the forests and snowy mountains of the north down to the Sahara. They also conduct large conventional, joint, exercises every year, involving large formations and aircrafts. They are bracing themselves...
The land forces are made of several armoured/mechanized/motorised/airborne divisions, brigades and other independent formations. It seems less visible, but the modernisation process is still going on. If you have questions about the inventory you can ask me
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The Naval Forces align several thousands of Marines, between 7000 and 10 000. They are not only a coastal defence force, they also conduct missions deep inside the territory. They have a sizeable number of BTR 80 that need to be replaced. There are commandos and frogmen.
The Air Force also has its ground fighting units, the Fusiliers and Commandos de l'Air. I was told that the Air Force has 6 regiments of 700 men each, plus independent battalions to protect air bases. They are parachute-trained and can also perform air-assault with helicopters; they are deployed throughout the territory. They also have specialised/special units: CCTs, JTAC...