instance_of overseas medal
The National ___MASK12___ is one of ___MASK52___ national police forces of France . It is a branch of the French ___MASK2___ placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior - with additional duties to the Ministry of Defense . Its area of responsibility includes smaller towns and rural areas , while the " Police Nationale " - a civilian force - is in charge of cities and large towns . Due to its military status , the ___MASK12___ also fulfills a range of military and defense missions . The Gendarmes also have a cybercrime division . It has a strength of more than 100 , 000 personnel as of 2014 . The French ___MASK37___ (" national ___MASK37___ "), informally , is the maritime arm of the French ___MASK2___ . Tracing its roots back to 1624 it is one of the world ' s oldest naval forces and historically played a key part in establishing the French colonial empire . Since the early foundings , its roles have been defined as maintaining intelligence , protecting populations , preventing crises , intervening wherever necessary to reestablish peace , and dissuading any threats against vital French interests . The Marine nationale consists of four branches : the " Force d ' Action Navale ", the " Forces Sous - marines ", the " Aéronavale " and the " Fusiliers Marins " ( including Commandos Marine ). As a blue - water ___MASK37___ the Marine nationale operates a wide range of fighting vessels , including a nuclear - powered aircraft carrier , nuclear - powered submarines , frigates , patrol boats and support ships . The French ___MASK37___ does not use prefixes of the names of its ships ( such as the Royal ___MASK37___ uses HMS , for instance ). Foreign commentators sometimes use the prefixes " FS " ( for " French Ship ") or FNS ( for " French ___MASK37___ Ship "); these are not official , however . The French ___MASK58___ , officially the Land ___MASK58___ ( to distinguish it from the Air ___MASK58___ ) is the land - based and largest ___MASK97___ of the French ___MASK2___ . Along with the French Air Force , the French Navy and the National Gendarmerie , it is responsible to the French government . The current Chief of Staff of the French ___MASK58___ ( C . E . M . A . T .) is General Jean - Pierre Bosser , a direct subordinate of the Chief of the Defence Staff ( C . E . M . A .). All soldiers are considered professionals following the suspension of conscription , voted in parliament in 1997 and made effective in 2001 . France , officially the French ___MASK31___ , is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories . The European , or metropolitan , area of France extends from the Mediterranean ___MASK72___ to the English Channel and the North ___MASK72___ , and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean . Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American ___MASK75___ and several island territories in the Atlantic , Pacific and Indian oceans . France spans and had a total population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017 . It is a unitary semi - presidential republic with the capital in Paris , the country ' s largest city and main cultural and commercial centre . Other major urban centres include Marseille , Lyon , Lille , Nice , Toulouse and Bordeaux . The ___MASK2___ of a country are its government - sponsored defense , fighting forces , and organizations . They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external and internal aggressors . In broad usage , the terms " ___MASK2___ " and " military " are often treated synonymously , although in technical usage a distinction is sometimes made in which a country ' s ___MASK2___ may include both its military and other paramilitary forces . Armed force is the use of ___MASK2___ to achieve political objectives . The study of the use of ___MASK2___ is called military science . Broadly speaking , this involves considering offense and defense at three " levels ": strategy , operational art , and tactics . All three levels study the application of the use of force in ___MASK67___ to achieve a desired objective . The Overseas ___MASK3___ ( French : Médaille d ' Outre - Mer ) is a commemorative or ___MASK62___ issued to members of the French Armed Forces for participating in operations outside national territory . It replaced the French Colonial ___MASK3___ by decree on 6 June 1962 . The Colonial ___MASK3___ was a French ___MASK42___ created by the " loi de finances " of 26 July 1893 ( article 75 ) to reward " ___MASK84___ services in the colonies , resulting from participation in ___MASK84___ operations , in a colony or a protectorate ". A decree of 6 June 1962 changed the term " colonial " to " overseas " ( see Overseas ___MASK3___ ). A ___MASK62___ is a military decoration which is awarded to a member of the military who serves in a designated military operation or performs duty in a geographical theater . Campaign medals are very similar to service medals but carry a higher status as the award usually involves deployment to a foreign region or service in a combat zone . A ___MASK98___ medal is an award to individuals who participated in designated wars , campaigns , or expeditions , or who have fulfilled specific ___MASK98___ requirements in a creditable manner . ___MASK98___ medals are sometimes also ___MASK1___ medals . The French ___MASK40___ (, literally " air army ") is the ___MASK40___ of the French ___MASK2___ . It was formed in 1909 as the " Service Aéronautique ", a service arm of the French Army , then was made an independent military arm in 1934 . The number of aircraft in service with the French ___MASK40___ varies depending on source , however sources from the ___MASK54___ of Defence give a figure of 658 aircraft in 2014 . The French ___MASK40___ has 233 combat aircraft in service , with the majority being 125 Dassault Mirage 2000 and 108 Dassault Rafale . As of early 2016 , the French ___MASK40___ employs a total of 42 , 607 regular personnel . The reserve element of the ___MASK40___ consisted of 5 , 187 personnel of the Operational Reserve . The French ___MASK2___ encompass the French Army , the French Navy , the French Air Force , the French National Guard and the National Gendarmerie of France . The President of the Republic heads the ___MASK2___ , with the title "" chef des armées "" (" chief of the ___MASK2___ "). The President is the supreme authority for military matters and is the sole official who can ___MASK67___ a nuclear strike . France maintains the tenth largest defence budget in the world and the largest army in size in the EU . France also maintains the third largest nuclear deterrent behind only Russia and the United States .