Summary of the Armed Forces in French Guiana

There are 2,600 civil and military Armed Forces personnel in French Guiana, together with the Overseas Adapted Military Service (SMA) force.

The Army

The Foreign Legion’s 3rd Infantry Regiment (3rd REI)

It has 650 men stationed at Kourou. They are there to :

• protect the Guiana Space Centre
• keep Eastern French Guiana under surveillance
• manage the Equatorial Forest Training Centre (CEFE) at Régina

The 9th Marine Infantry Regiment (9th RIMA)

it has 600 soldiers based at Cayenne. Their missions are to :

• provide support for all the ground forces and the Cayenne garrison
• keep Western and Southern French Guiana under surveillance

The commander of the ground force

It has a joint staff of fifteen. It oversees the operational training and readiness of the ground forces.

The Navy

The Navy has 140 sailors at the Dégrad des Cannes naval base at Cayenne. Different units ensure :

• surveillance and protection of the surrounding waters
• naval defence of the territory
• air/sea security as a contribution to the protection of the CSG.

Air Force

There are a total of 200 Air Force personnel stationed at the Rochambeau (Cayenne) and Kourou bases. They undertake :

• active air security measures - surveillance of the SOP3 military zone for the CSG
• defence of Guyanese air space
• support missions for the Armed Forces in French Guiana

The Gendarmerie

There are 700 Gendarmerie personnel in French Guiana, 300 of whom are in mobile units. Its missions are :

• In addition to the usual duties of the gendarmerie throughout France, in French Guiana it also participates in security operations for the CSG, which is the particular responsibility of a mobile squadron.

The Overseas Adapted Military Service (SMA)

This service was created in 1960 under the responsibility of the Ministry for France Overseas and now has a total of 780 people divided between two units stationed at Cayenne and at Saint-Jean du Maroni. It provides :

• professional training for young Guyanese
• a contribution to the development of the départment of French Guiana, particularly by building major infrastructures for the more inaccessible areas
• support for the Armed Forces in their general role of protection and assistance to government services.

The Missions of the Armed Forces in French Guiana

National Sovereignty

• Help maintain a climate of security in French Guiana. This involves:

- security around the Guiana Space Centre (CSG) provided by the Army - the Foreign Legion’s 3rd Infantry Regiment (3rd REI), the Air Force (helicopters and radar) and the Navy (patrol boats, launches and an observation aircraft)

- frontier security (land, river, sea and air) and a presence in the interior: 9th RIMA on the Maroni River (stations at Nasson, Maripasoula and Wempi), 3rd REI on the Oyapok River (stations at Saint-Georges and Camopi).

• Defending the territory against attack from outside

Support mission to government services

• Preventing illegal immigration and gold prospecting.
• Government actions at sea : monitoring fishing, sea rescues etc

Humanitarian Missions

• Medical evacuation

Participation in regional development

• Work carried out for local authorities (the Adapted Military Service)
• Social inclusion and professional training for young people
• Making military resources available for transport, security and health

All these missions are carried out with the full participation of all the Armed Forces, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Gendarmerie Nationale.