Satory, Yvelines, France 48°47′6.59″N2°06′25.80″E / 48.7851639°N 2.1071667°E / 48.7851639; 2.1071667
Motto
S'engager pour la vie[1] (transl. "Commitment for life")[note 1]
Abbreviation
GIGN
Structure
Operators
c. 1,000 (400 in Satory)[2]
Commanders
Current commander
Général de Division Ghislain Réty [3]
Notable commanders
Christian Prouteau
Denis Favier
Notables
Significant operation(s)
See list:
Loyada hostage crisis (1976)
Grand Mosque seizure (1979)
Ouvéa hostage crisis (1988)
Air France Flight 8969 hijacking (1994)
Île-de-France attacks (2015)
Awards
Croix de la Valeur Militaire
The GIGN (French: Groupe d'intervention de la Gendarmerie nationalepronunciationⓘ; transl. "National Gendarmerie Intervention Group") is the elite police tactical unit of the National Gendarmerie of France. Among its missions are counterterrorism, hostage rescue, surveillance of national threats, protection of government officials, critical site protection (such as French embassies in war-torn countries), and targeting organized crime.[4]
Established in 1973 and becoming operational in 1974, the GIGN was initially created as a relatively small tactical unit specialized in sensitive hostage situations, but has since grown into a larger force with expanded responsibilities and capabilities.[5][6] It is now composed of nearly 1,000 operators: around 400 operators based in Satory, near Versailles in the Paris area and approximately 600 operators in fourteen regional GIGN branches called AGIGNs (Antennes du GIGN), located in metropolitan France or in the French overseas territories.[2] The unit shares jurisdiction of French sovereign territory with the special response units of the National Police,[note 2] and its training centre is located in Beynes.[7]
Although most of its operations take place in France, the GIGN (as a component of the French Armed Forces) can operate anywhere in the world. Many of its missions are secret, and GIGN operators are not allowed to be publicly photographed. Since its formation, the GIGN has been involved in over 1,800 missions and has also rescued more than 600 hostages, making it one of the most experienced counter-terrorism units in the world.[1]
In December 1994, the GIGN rose to worldwide prominence after its operatives successfully stormed Air France Flight 8969, which had been hijacked by the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria at Marseille Provence Airport; all four hijackers were killed in the assault.[8]
GIGN's primary missions
Search and observation
Intervention
Protection
^ abGend'info magazine (Official Gendarmerie information magazine in French). GIGN's 40th anniversary issue. December 2014.
^ abNew organization for GIGN with full integration of Regional Branches - L'Essor de la Gendarmerie nationale: Nouvelle organisation pour le GIGN avec le rattachement intégral des antennes https://lessor.org/vie-des-personnels/nouvelle-organisation-pour-le-gign-avec-le-rattachement-des-antennes-gign
^Official Journal of the French Republic November 2022 https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000046591812
^Peachy, Paul (9 January 2015). "Who are GIGN? Elite police force formed after 1972 Olympics attack on Israelis". The Independent. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
^"40 ans, la naissance". www.gendarmerie.interieur.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 7 September 2023.
^"Special Training for a SWAT Team: The French Curriculum | Office of Justice Programs". www.ojp.gov. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
^Aleksander Olech, French and Polish fight against terrorism, Poznan 2022, p. 102; https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359135918_French_and_Polish_fight_against_terrorism
^Atlamazoglou, Stavros. "An elite French counterterrorism unit gained worldwide fame for a daring raid on a hijacked plane 28 years ago". Business Insider. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
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The GIGN (French: Groupe d'intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale pronunciation; transl. "National Gendarmerie Intervention Group") is the elite police...
Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN) with a central unit and fourteen regional branches called (French: Antennes du GIGN) AGIGNs). Their missions include...
aircraft reached Marseille, the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN), a counter-terror unit of the French National Gendarmerie, stormed the plane...
received its first batch of CZ BREN 2 modular assault rifles. In 2017, French GIGN received 68 CZ BREN 2 assault rifles chambered in 7.62×39mm and is expected...
of the Gendarmerie Nationale. He was involved in the organisation of the GIGN and the GSPR. Prouteau graduated from Saint-Cyr, the French army's officers'...
aid from France, which responded by dispatching advisory units from the GIGN. After French operatives provided them with a special type of tear gas that...
Gendarmerie, as well as for its use by French police tactical units such as GIGN and the National Police's RAID. It has also seen service with military, police...
Army on French soil are fulfilled by units of the Departmental Gendarmerie. GIGN (Groupe d'intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale) is one of the two premier...
was appointed commander of the National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN). In 1994 he was promoted to chef d'escadron (major). In 1994, he commanded...
corresponding units in the civilian police), counter-terrorism and hostage rescue (GIGN, again along with some corresponding units in the civilian police), maritime...
after authorities had taken a decision overnight, members of the Hubert and GIGN commando, with five helicopters, took possession of the ship. The striking...
French Army SG 551 SG 551 LB _ _ National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN) of the National Gendarmerie SG 553 SOW _ _ Germany GSG 9 of the German...
Versailles-Satory with its sister unit GIGN. Besides its primary mission of providing heavy support and reinforcement to GIGN, EPIGN soon developed its own set...
Security. Similar units include the FBI Hostage Rescue Team and the French GIGN. The SEF was established in 1972; its main job was to control riots and demonstration...
of Nexter Systems Barracks and facilities for Gendarmerie including the GIGN headquarters and the Mobile Gendarmerie armored grouping (GBGM); Musique...
d'information sur les prisons". prison.eu.org. Retrieved 2023-03-28. "Le "GIGN de la pénitentiaire" a fait ses preuves". LEFIGARO (in French). 2010-10-13...
March 18, 2011. Micheletti, Eric (September 30, 2004). Le GIGN: Trente Ans d'Actions [The GIGN: Thirty Years of Actions] (in French). Paris: Histoire &...
KŘP Jihočeského kraje and Zásahová jednotka KŘP Plzeňského kraje France: GIGN Germany: GSG 9 and SEK Iceland: Víkingasveitin Norway: Delta Slovenia:...
forces, aided by French special ops units. According to Lawrence Wright, the GIGN commandos did first convert to Islam prior to the raid. Most of those responsible...
force Gendarmerie Mobile (GM) – anti-riot unit and counter-terrorism group (GIGN) Garde républicaine – republican guard of France Gendarmerie des Transports...
police tactical unit Groupe d'intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale (GIGN) and the French Army 2e RPIMa. The Special Support Unit (SSU) is the riot...
known to be a Special Mission Unit supporting counter terrorism along with GIGN (see Ouvea cave, MS Pascal Paoli). Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a naval officer...
Global Information
France
Croix de la Valeur Militaire
Search and observation
Intervention
Protection
