Topic summary
French Armed Forces
The French Armed Forces (French: Forces armées françaises, pronounced) are the military of France. They consist of four service branches: The Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force, and the National Gendarmerie. The National Guard serves as the French Armed Forces' military reserve force.
Under the French constitution, the president of France serves as commander-in-chief of the French military. The Chief of the Defence Staff, currently Général d'armée aérienneFabien Mandon, oversees all military operations.
France has the ninth largest defense budget in the world and the second largest in the European Union (EU). It also has the largest military by size in the EU. As of 2025, the total active personnel of the French Armed Forces are 264,000, along with 43,000 reservists; including the National Gendarmerie (which numbered 155,000 in 2024), France's military manpower is 462,000.
France is frequently considered a top-tier military power, often ranking among the top ten due to its global capabilities and independent nuclear umbrella; according to the 2026 Global Firepower Index, the French Armed Forces are the world's sixth most powerful military.
The Armed Forces continuously rank as one the institutions in which the French people have the highest confidence. A 2023 IFOP poll showed that 89% of the French trusted their Armed Forces.