RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE MINISTER FOR DEFENCE
The Minister of Defence is responsible, under the authority of the President of the Republic, for the implementation of defence policy and, in particular, for the organisation, management, readiness and mobilisation of all the Armed Forces and the military infrastructure required for them. He assists the President of the Republic in their implementation. He has authority over all the Armed Forces and is responsible for their security.
In order to carry out his duties, the Minister of Defence has a Central Administration and two command bodies, the General Staff of the Armed Forces and the High Command of the National Gendarmerie.
The Minister in charge of Defence chairs the Defence Coordination Committee, abbreviated CCD.
The Defence Coordination Committee is responsible for monitoring the implementation of measures taken by the Government and the Defence Restricted Council.
It includes:
- The Inspector General of the Armed Forces ;
- The Inspector General of the Gendarmerie Nationale ;
- The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces ;
- The Senior Commander of the National Gendarmerie ;
- The Controller General of Defence Administration and Finance ;
- The Chiefs of Staff of the French Army, Air Force and Navy;
- The Head of the Military Cabinet ;
- The Director General of Strategic Affairs, who provides the secretariat.
The Defence Coordination Committee may invite any resource person to take part in its work.
ORGANISATION OF THE ARMED FORCES OF COTE D’IVOIRE
CONSTITUENT PARTS
The Armed Forces of Côte d’Ivoire are military formations specially organised and equipped to :
- Defending the integrity of national territory;
- To protect the vital and strategic interests of the nation in all circumstances and against all forms of aggression;
- Protecting people and property;
- Contribute to regional and international security;
- To take part in actions to promote peace and international law;
The Armed Forces of Côte d’Ivoire :
- participate in the maintenance of law and order and the performance of public service tasks, under the conditions laid down by decree, at the request of the competent authorities.
- act with respect for human rights, public freedoms, ethics and professional conduct.
The Armed Forces of Côte d’Ivoire comprise active and reserve army formations.
Active Army formations are made up of :
- The Gendarmerie Nationale :
- The Territorial Gendarmerie ;
- The Mobile Gendarmerie ;
- Specialised Units.
- the Armed Forces :
- Army;
- Air Force;
- the French Navy.
- Special Forces;
- Joint Services.
The reserve formations are designed to reinforce the country’s internal or external defence, should the need arise.
THE GENERAL STAFF OF THE ARMED FORCES
ARMY COMMAND
Command of the Armed Forces is the responsibility of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, abbreviated to CEMGA, appointed by decree by the Council of Ministers.
He is assisted by Deputy Chiefs of General Staff.
A General Staff is set up for each of the armed forces. The General Staff of each army is placed under the command of a Chief of Staff who is assisted by a Deputy Chief of Staff:
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CHIEF OF THE GENERAL STAFF OF THE ARMED FORCES
The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces exercises effective command of the Armed Forces and is placed under the authority of the Minister of Defence. The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces :
- initiates studies and measures to ensure the Armed Forces carry out their missions and coordinate their actions.
- is responsible for preparing the Armies under his command for employment.
- gives the services specific to these Forces its command directives so that their action is carried out in accordance with the defined aims.
- determines Defence’s intelligence requirements, leads research into these requirements and ensures that they are exploited.
- is involved in the preparation and development of international negotiations of interest to Defence and takes part in inter-allied meetings.
- participates in drawing up budget guidelines for the various armed forces and proposes priorities to be met.
To carry out his various missions, the Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff is assisted by the General Staff and the Joint Defence Area Commanders.
Joint Defence Area Commanders :
- are responsible for identifying and mobilising staff and drawing up protection plans.
- organise and direct military preparations in accordance with the directives of the Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff.
Military schools, other than those belonging to the National Gendarmerie, come under the authority of the Chief of the General Staff in all matters relating to the organisation, instruction, discipline and content of the teaching provided.
MISSIONS OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE ARMED FORCES OF COTE D’IVOIRE
Joint Armed Forces – National Gendarmerie missions
Armed Forces units called upon to take part in police operations relating to the maintenance of law and order with gendarmerie units are placed under the authority of a chief designated by the Superior Commander of the National Gendarmerie.
Army units called upon to take part in internal defence operations with gendarmerie units are placed under the authority of a chief designated by the Chief of the Armed Forces General Staff. These operations are prepared by the military authorities jointly and in close collaboration with the Minister of Security, who is responsible for public order.
Specific missions of the Armies and Forces
THE ARMY
The Army is primarily responsible for defending the country against external aggression.
It complements the work of the Gendarmerie Nationale and other internal security forces in internal defence.
THE AIR FORCE
The French Air Force is responsible for the surveillance and defence of national airspace.
The French Air Force :
- participates in internal and external defence by carrying out observation, transport, support and interception missions.
- assists the other armed forces, the Gendarmerie Nationale and other internal security forces in carrying out their missions.
THE NATIONAL NAVY
The French Navy is responsible for the surveillance, control and defence of lagoons, waterways, the coastline and maritime areas under national jurisdiction, and takes part in EU surveillance of the Gulf of Guinea.
The French Navy :
- participates in internal and external defence by carrying out observation, transport, support, support and interception missions.
- coordinates government action at sea.
- assists the other armed forces, the Gendarmerie Nationale and other internal security forces in carrying out their missions.
SPECIAL FORCES
Special Forces are joint units specifically formed, educated and trained to carry out a range of specific missions, from special operations in the context of a conventional conflict to unconventional warfare.
THE NATIONAL GENDARMERIE
The National Gendarmerie was created on 27 July 1960 by Law N°60-209 creating the NATIONAL ARMED FORCES OF CÔTE D’IVOIRE. In accordance with Law N°67-331 of 1st August 1967, regulating the service of the National Gendarmerie, the National Gendarmerie of Côte d’Ivoire is a military force established to ensure public safety, the maintenance of order and the enforcement of laws, with the aim of protecting institutions, people and property. Placed under the direct authority of the Minister of Defence, it carries out three types of mission:
– civil missions: administrative police and judicial police
– military missions: military police, operational territorial defence
– miscellaneous tasks: competition applications, for example.
To carry out all these missions, the National Gendarmerie’s units are spread throughout the Republic as part of the administrative and judicial organisation. It comprises the departmental gendarmerie, the mobile gendarmerie and specialised units.
Territorially, the Gendarmerie is organised into 7 legions, which in turn are divided into departmental gendarmerie companies and mobile gendarmerie squadrons. With the exception of Abidjan, which has a mobile gendarmerie legion and a departmental gendarmerie legion, the legions in the interior of the country include both mobile gendarmerie and departmental gendarmerie units.
It has two schools for training its personnel: the Abidjan Gendarmerie School and the Toroguhé (Daloa) Gendarmerie School.
COMMAND OF THE NATIONAL GENDARMERIE
The Command of the Gendarmerie Nationale is the responsibility of the Commandant Supérieur de la Gendarmerie Nationale. The Superior Commander of the National Gendarmerie is assisted by a Deputy Superior Commander.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SUPERIOR COMMANDER OF THE NATIONAL GENDARMERIE
The Senior Commander of the Gendarmerie Nationale is placed under the authority of the Minister of Defence. He receives direct instructions from the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces regarding the execution of military missions, in particular when the Gendarmerie Nationale is called upon to take part in joint internal or external defence operations.
The Joint Defence Zone Commanders and Gendarmerie Regional Commanders are responsible for coordinating law enforcement operations in accordance with the directives of the Gendarmerie Superior Commander.
MISSIONS OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE NATIONAL GENDARMERIE
THE TERRITORIAL GENDARMERIE
The Gendarmerie Territoriale is responsible for administrative, judicial and military policing. It participates in internal defence, in particular by gathering intelligence.
THE MOBILE GENDARMERIE
The Mobile Gendarmerie is responsible for maintaining and restoring law and order. It forms the backbone of internal defence.
THE GENERAL INSPECTORATE OF THE ARMED FORCES
The General Inspectorate of the Armed Forces is responsible for inspecting all the formations, structures and services of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Land Forces, the Air Force, the Navy, the Special Forces and the Joint Services, and for monitoring their operational capability.
The General Inspectorate of the Armed Forces is responsible for :
- To ensure that the Armed Forces can carry out all the missions that may be entrusted to them and to take all necessary measures to this end;
- Informing the Minister of Defence about the general situation of the Armed Forces and the specific needs of each formation;
- To carry out studies or investigations, either on the orders of the Minister of Defence or on its own initiative.
The Inspectorate General of the Armed Forces reports to the Minister of Defence.
THE GENERAL INSPECTORATE OF THE NATIONAL GENDARMERIE
The General Inspectorate of the National Gendarmerie is responsible for inspecting all the formations, structures and services of the Superior Command of the National Territorial Gendarmerie, the Mobile Gendarmerie and the Specialised Gendarmerie Units, and for monitoring their operational capacity.
It has the same organisation and remit as the Inspectorate General of the Armed Forces, with the difference that its remit is limited to the Gendarmerie Nationale.
GENERAL AUDIT OF ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE
The Contrôleur Général de l’Administration et des Finances de la Défense is headed by a Controller General.
Its mission is to monitor the proper operation of the departments and bodies placed under the authority of the Minister of Defence and the supervision of the Ministry of Defence in administrative, financial, technical, property and social matters.
The General Control of Defence Administration and Finance is placed under the authority of the Minister of Defence.