National GendarmerieGovernment

The National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie nationale) is a military force within the French Armed Forces responsible for civilian law enforcement and public security under the authority of the Ministry of the Interior. Operating alongside the civilian National Police, its mandate focuses primarily on policing rural, peri-urban, coastal, and border areas, as well as conducting criminal investigations and maintaining public order. Originating from the medieval royal Maréchaussée, the institution was formally reorganized and established under its current name in 1791 during the French Revolution.