While administratively a part of the armed forces, thus under the aegis of the Ministry of Defense, it is operationally attached to the Ministry of the Interior for its missions within France, and criminal investigations are run under the supervision of judges. Its members operate in uniform and exceptionally in plainclothes.
Career gendarmes are either commissioned or non-commissioned officers. The lower ranks consist in auxiliary gendarmes on limited-time contracts.
The officer school of the Gendarmerie Nationale is located in Melun.
The Gendarmerie Nationale is divided into the gendarmerie départementale and the gendarmerie mobile.
It is divided into regions (headed by a general, one for each defense zone), themselves divided into legions (headed by a colonel, one for each administrative region), themselves divided into groupements (one for each département, thus the name), themselves divided into compagnies (one for each arrondissement).
It maintains gendarmerie stations throughout the rural parts of the territory.
In addition, it has specialized units:
Its main responsabilities are
It has specialized units:
The Garde Républicaine, is a ceremonial unit based in Paris, whose main mission is to guard official buildings and perform honor services.The Gendarmerie Départementale
The Gendarmerie Départementale conducts local policing functions throughout the French territory. Its uniforms are blue.
Note that the research units may be called into action by the judiciary even within cities.The Gendarmerie Mobile
It is divided into legions, similarly as the Gendarmerie Départementale. Its uniforms are black.
Those tasks are similar to those of the police units known as Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité, for which they are often mistaken.
In addition, it has armored units:
Such units may intervene abroad in varied cases such as a hostage crisis or the support of peacekeeping operations.Special divisions
Gendarmerie Maritime
Placed under the dual supervision of the Gendarmerie and the Navy, its missions include:
Gendarmerie des Transports Aériens
Placed under the dual supervision of the Gendarmerie and the direction of civilian aviation of the transportation ministry, its missions include:
Gendarmerie de l'Air
Placed under the dual supervision of the Gendarmerie and the Air Force, it fulfills police and security missions in the air bases, and goes on the site of accident of military aircraft.Gendarmerie de l'Armement
It fulfills police and security missions in the establishments of the Délégation Générale de l'Armement (defense procurement agency).Republican Guard
Main article: French Republican Guard