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Eldoria National Archives

Special Forces

Eldoria’s elite units in 2018

5 units, one for each environment: the city and the countryside for the GINP, the sea for the FIMA, the sky for the PFS, the forest for the GIFT, and the mountains for the Alpine hunters. Their existence is public knowledge; the details of their operations, however, remain largely classified.

Key figures for the Special Forces in 2018

Units
5
Police, Navy, Air Force, Army
Elite operators
≈ 1 150
GINP, FIMA, PFS, GIFT
Alpine Hunters
≈ 2 400
3 battalions
Oldest
1937
Alpine Hunters
I

The 5 units

GINP National Intervention and Protection Group

National Police, Ministry of the Interior and Security

‘Protect, Respond, Serve’

The National Police’s counter-terrorism unit. It operates throughout Eldoria when a situation exceeds the capabilities of the regular police.

Creation
1973
Staff numbers
≈ 220 operators
Organisation
4 response squadrons, 1 close protection squadron, 1 negotiation team

Tasks

  • Counter-terrorism within the country
  • Release of hostages
  • Protection of the Head of State and senior officials
  • Protecting critical infrastructure against an armed attack
  • High-risk arrests

Selection

2 years of selection and training: precision shooting, close-quarters combat, crisis negotiation, incident command, and Tensu at master level.

Known operations

2003 — 2004

Operation Silent Crescent

The GINP carried out all the raids on national territory during the dismantling of 47 terrorist cells, in coordination with the SRM.

9 December 2010

Montclarin School

GINP teams stormed the primary school, which had been taken over by 3 terrorists, and neutralised them.

Since 2010

Prevention

Several planned attacks have been foiled with the help of the SRM; the details remain classified.

Its existence is public knowledge; its exact numbers, organisation and current operations are classified.

FIMA Maritime Intervention Force

Navy — French Navy

‘Victory from the depths’

The Navy’s combat swimmers. They operate from the sea: raiding ships, ports and coastlines, carrying out acts of sabotage, and rescuing hostages at sea.

Creation
1959
Staff numbers
≈ 180 operators
Organisation
6 squadrons of stealth transport submarines

Tasks

  • Attacks on ships and port facilities
  • Rescue of hostages at sea
  • Sabotage and coastal reconnaissance
  • Maritime ban: seizures of weapons and cargo
  • Capture of high-value targets

Selection

18 months: combat diving, submarine navigation, parachuting into the sea, close-quarters combat on board, and endurance training in cold water.

Known operations

1982

Capture of Israeli leaders

Following Israel’s defeat, the FIMA captured the leaders, who were to be tried in Tavisky.

2004

Hostages at sea

Release of the crew of a hijacked oil tanker.

2013 — 2018

Red Sea

Repeated seizures of weapons off the coast of Yemen and the Horn of Africa.

2015

Syria

Capture of Islamist militants during the Syrian War.

PFS Special Forces Paratroopers

Air Force — Army — Air Force

‘Hitting the mark’

The Air Force’s elite paratroopers. They jump from great heights, deep behind enemy lines, to guide air strikes or rescue downed crews.

Creation
1957
Staff numbers
≈ 400 operators
Organisation
4 squadrons

Tasks

  • Infiltration by freefall from a very high altitude
  • Rescue of crews shot down in enemy territory
  • Guidance of air strikes
  • Sabotage and in-depth reconnaissance

Selection

20 months: very high-altitude jump with oxygen, night navigation, survival, air navigation, Tensu.

Known operations

1958

Beirut

Cutting off supply lines behind the landed forces.

1991 — 1993

Gulf War

Rescuing downed crews and guiding air strikes against the coalition.

2015

Syria

Guidance of strikes against Syrian artillery batteries along the border.

GIFT Tactical Forestry Intervention Group

Army — Army — Army

‘See without being seen’

The forest and jungle combat unit, which originated in the garrisons of Equatorial Guinea. It trains in the forests of the Caspian region and in Equatorial Africa.

Creation
1965
Staff numbers
≈ 350 operators
Organisation
5 detachments

Tasks

  • Combat in dense woodland and jungle
  • Tracking and counter-guerrilla operations
  • Protection of mining sites in Africa
  • Combating poaching and armed trafficking
  • Long-duration reconnaissance in covered terrain

Selection

18 months: jungle survival, tracking, camouflage, orienteering, field medicine.

Known operations

2002

Katanga

At the forefront of the operation to secure the cobalt mines.

2003

Zambia and Gabon

Securing mining sites and transport routes following the introduction of special regulations.

Since 2003

Equatorial Africa

Regular operations against poaching and armed groups in the vicinity of the mines.

GCA Alpine Hunters’ Group

Army — Army — Army

‘Holding the peaks’

The mountain soldiers. The Khorosan, the Zagros, the Taurus and the Afghan border are their terrain: mountain passes, ridges, snow and bitter cold.

Creation
1937
Staff numbers
≈ 2,400 hunters
Organisation
3 battalions

Tasks

  • Combat in high mountains and in extreme cold
  • Monitoring of mountain passes and mountain borders
  • Mountain rescue and post-earthquake rescue operations
  • Support from other units in high-altitude terrain

Selection

One year: mountaineering, combat skiing, high-altitude survival, mountain shooting.

Known operations

1940 — 1941

Turkish War

Crossing the Taurus Mountains in the middle of winter.

1980 — 1983

Operation Rampart

Maintenance of the security cordon in Afghanistan, in the mountains of western Afghanistan.

September 1981

Hari Rud

It was the Alpine hunters who were involved in the skirmish with the Soviet patrol.

Since 1990

Emergency

Relief efforts following the Zagros and Anatolian earthquakes.

II

Overview

The Eldorian Special Forces in 2018
AcronymSurnameAffiliationCreationStaff numbersMain mission
GINPNational Intervention and Protection GroupNational Police1973220 operatorsCounter-terrorism within the country
FIMAMaritime Response ForceNavy1959180 operatorsAttacks on ships and port facilities
PFSSpecial Forces ParatroopersAir Force1957400 operatorsInfiltration by freefall from a very high altitude
GIFTTactical Forestry Response UnitArmy1965350 operatorsCombat in dense woodland and jungle
GCAAlpine Hunters GroupArmy19372,400 huntersCombat in high mountains and in extreme cold

Shared equipment

Operators from the GINP, FIMA and PFS carry the SV-9, the pistol developed in collaboration with Japan in 2011 (the Sakura-Vinter programme). The 5 units share Agency IV standards: the same ammunition, the same radios and the same spare parts.

The intelligence that guides their operations comes from the SRM, which works with each of them without giving them orders.