Commandement des Opérations Spéciales

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The Commandement des Opérations Spéciales (Special Operations Command, COS) is the French organisation which coordinates the use of the French special forces of all military branches (Army, Navy, Air Force and Gendarmerie).

The COS was created after the Gulf War, the 24 June 1992.

The role of the COS is to direct and coordinate missions for special forces, which are put under its direct command and are immediately available. It is organised in two circles; first circle units are permanently under COS command, while second circle units may be called in if necessary. COS can also "requisition" any unit of military of France (Army, Air Force, Navy and Gendarmerie) for his missions.

First circle : COS is the exclusive (concerns mainly Army units) or main (mainly Navy units) user of these special forces :
- Armée de Terre (Army) : the French Army special operations forces are under command of BFST (Army Special Forces Brigade, Army Special Forces Command), kind of US USASOC.
  - 1er régiment parachutiste d'infanterie de marine (1st parachutist marine infantry regiment)
  - 13e Régiment de Dragons Parachutistes (13th parachutist dragoons regiment)
  - DAOS (Détachement ALAT des Opérations Spéciales, special army aviation detachment)
- Marine Nationale (Navy)
  - Commandos-Marine
- Armée de l'Air (Air Force)
  - CPA 10 (Commando parachutiste de l'air n°10, Air Parachutist Commandos No.10)
  - DOS (Détachement des Opérations Spéciales, special operations detachment)
    - DOS/T (Détachement des Opérations Spéciales / Transport, special operations detachment, airlift), which uses C-130 Hercules and C-160 Transall
    - DOS/H (Détachement des Opérations Spéciales / Hélicoptères, special operations detachment, helicopters), which uses helicopters from OVIA unit.
Second circle : the COS frequently uses these special operations forces or special operations capable forces (but it can also use all units of French Military) :
- Gendarmerie Nationale
  - units of GSIGN (Groupement de Sécurité et d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale, Group of Security and Intervention of the National Gendarmerie), which includes :
- Armée de Terre
  - GCP (Groupement des Commandos Parachutistes, parachutist commandos group) and others units of the 11e BP (11e Brigade Parachutiste, 11th parachutist brigade)
  - URH 27 (Unité de Recherche Humaine 27, human recon unit No.27, chasseurs alpins unit) of the 27e BIM (27e Brigade d'Infanterie de Montagne, 27th mountain infantry brigade)
  - 17e RGP (17e Régiment du Génie Parachutiste, 17e parachutist engineering regiment)
  - 1er RHP (1er Régiment de Hussards Parachutistes, 1st parachutist hussar regiment)
  - 9e RCP (9e Régiment de Chasseurs parachutistes, 9th parachutist chasseurs regiment)

Other possible special units are the EOP (Équipes d'Observation dans la Profondeur, forward observation teams of artillery units regiments), the DINs (Détachements d'Intervention Nautique, navale engineering detachments of engineering units) or ELGE (Équipes Légères de Guerre Électronique, Electronic warfare light teams of the 54e Régiment de Transmissions, 54th transmitters regiment).