Military reserve forces of France
Encyclopedia
The military reserve forces of France are the military reserve force
within the armed forces
of France
.
, he was feared by his rivals, and keenly supported by the army. They participated in the creation of a new constitution
that forbade a Consul from leading an active army outside France
. The violence of the coup d'état had already caused disquiet, and the consuls had access to an impressive garde des consuls.
Following the new constitution to the letter, Napoléon raised a reserve army (and thus not counting as an active army) at Dijon
to support his war effort in Italy
. This was the turning point of his Second Italian campaign..
and the professionalisation of its armies, France also modified the organisation of its military reserve in the same professionalising way. Law n°99-894 of 22 October 1999 (modified by law 2006-449 of 18 April 2006) set out the organisation of the military reserve and of the defence forces.
The military reserve was organised into 2 bodies :
These reservists serve in many branches of the forces - the air force
, army
, gendarmerie, navy
, health service
, supply corps, and DGA
.
Military reserve force
A military reserve force is a military organization composed of citizens of a country who combine a military role or career with a civilian career. They are not normally kept under arms and their main role is to be available to fight when a nation mobilizes for total war or to defend against invasion...
within the armed forces
Military of France
The French Armed Forces encompass the French Army, the French Navy, the French Air Force and the National Gendarmerie. The President of the Republic heads the armed forces, with the title "chef des armées" . The President is the supreme authority for military matters and is the sole official who...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
History
From the very moment Napoléon Bonaparte took power as First Consul in the coup of 18 Brumaire18 Brumaire
The coup of 18 Brumaire was the coup d'état by which General Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the French Directory, replacing it with the French Consulate...
, he was feared by his rivals, and keenly supported by the army. They participated in the creation of a new constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
that forbade a Consul from leading an active army outside France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The violence of the coup d'état had already caused disquiet, and the consuls had access to an impressive garde des consuls.
Following the new constitution to the letter, Napoléon raised a reserve army (and thus not counting as an active army) at Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
to support his war effort in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. This was the turning point of his Second Italian campaign..
Present organisation
On the suspension of obligatory national serviceNational service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
and the professionalisation of its armies, France also modified the organisation of its military reserve in the same professionalising way. Law n°99-894 of 22 October 1999 (modified by law 2006-449 of 18 April 2006) set out the organisation of the military reserve and of the defence forces.
The military reserve was organised into 2 bodies :
- the "réserve citoyenne" (citizen reserve), group of volunteers actively getting to know the military world, undergoing training and maintaining the links between the armed forces and civil society. Citizen reservists have military status.
- the "réserve opérationnelle" (operational reserve), grouping together reservists with an ESR (engagement à servir la réserve, obligation to serve in the reserve) and former military officers with an availability obligation (who thus remain available for the armed forces). The reservists serving under an ESR serve as military officers for periods of 1 to 210 days per year; they are coming from all fields (former officers, old "appelés du contigent", civilians without a military past) and all the professional social categories.
These reservists serve in many branches of the forces - the air force
French Air Force
The French Air Force , literally Army of the Air) is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1933...
, army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
, gendarmerie, navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
, health service
French Defence Health service
French Defence Health Service is in charge of medical and sanitary support of the French Military and of all institutions placed under the authority of the French Ministry of Defence....
, supply corps, and DGA
Délégation Générale pour l'Armement
The Direction générale de l’armement, which could be translated as “General Directorate for Armament”, or DGA, is the French Government Defence procurement agency responsible for the program management, development and purchase of weapon systems for the French military.-Armament programs...
.