| National Gendarmerie Intervention Group | |
|---|---|
| Groupe d'intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale | |
 Official insignia (2021) | |
| Active | 1973–present |
| Country |  France |
| Agency | National Gendarmerie |
| Type | Police tactical unit |
| Role |
|
| Operations jurisdiction |
|
| Headquarters | Satory, Yvelines, France 48°47′6.59″N 2°06′25.80″E / 48.7851639°N 2.1071667°E |
| 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 | |
| Notables | |
| Significant operation(s) | See list:
|
| Awards |  Croix de la Valeur Militaire |
The GIGN (French: Groupe d'intervention de la Gendarmerie nationale ; transl. "National Gendarmerie Intervention Group") is the elite police tactical unit of the French National Gendarmerie. 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
- ^ a b Gend'info magazine (Official Gendarmerie information magazine in French). GIGN's 40th anniversary issue. December 2014.
- ^ a b New 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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