Special Forces
This autumn, the Musée de l’Armée is presenting the first ever exhibition devoted to the French Special Forces, which will lift the veil on one of our armies’ most secretive entities.
Scheduled for the 30th anniversary of the creation of the Special Operations Command (SOC), this event offers unprecedented immersion in these outstanding units, in close proximity to exceptional men and women who, on a daily basis, in peace as in war, work for the nation in extreme conditions with humility and team spirit.
From the Second World War to the present day, the exhibition looks at the history, operation, equipment and evolution of the Special Forces, as well as its increased deployment today, and examines the complex relationship between our societies and war.
Creation of the Special Forces
After highlighting the legacies of the Second World War, the decolonisation wars and the Cold War, the exhibition looks at the creation of the Special Operations Command (SOC) on 24 June 1992, at the end of the first Gulf War.
Organised as a joint operational command, it was placed under the direct authority of the Chief of the Defence Staff. The SOC is responsible for designing, planning and conducting operations led by Special Forces Units. Such missions, which are located outside the framework of conventional military actions, are aimed at achieving objectives of strategic interest, particularly in terms of environmental actions, the opening of theatres, intervention on high-value objectives and combating terrorism.
Executed in hostile territory or behind enemy lines, missions may take a few hours, days or weeks. To avoid the compromise or leakage of information, only a very limited number of individuals are made aware of them. Employing very short decision loops, the SOC works in synergy with the French and Allied Intelligence Services.
The human commitment at the heart of the units
The main military achievements of these elite units within the Army, French Navy, Air and Space Force and the Military Health Service are being unveiled in order to show visitors the importance of their role.
Adaptability, hardiness, determination and team spirit are essential criteria for these exceptional men and women at all stages of their careers (selection, training, specialisation, drilling and operations). The tour is punctuated by around sixty interviews that testify to their unusual life experiences.
State-of-the-art technology and equipment
The exhibition also looks at specific techniques, equipment and Special Forces weaponry, comparing the Musée de l’Armée’s collections with objects loaned by Special Forces units, technology innovation professionals as well as French government departments and French and foreign national heritage institutions.
From reality to fiction
In an immersive and spectacular setting, the exhibition allows still and animated images and multimedia devices to play a prominent role. It also addresses the issue of the Special Forces’ representation in film, which has largely contributed to their portrayal in popular culture and the shaping of their mythology.
Team members’ insights
The exhibition focuses on the men and women who make up the Special Forces units.
Throughout the itinerary, visitors can listen to around sixty interviews, which were conducted specifically for the event. All specialities and chain-of-command levels (team members, general officers and politicians) are represented.
Exploring each set of memories, these interviews bring visitors into close proximity with team members. Certain team members, men and women with field experience, express their feelings as they go about their daily tasks whilst on missions, and provide drawings and photographs that bear witness to their experiences.
An exhibition-event
In addition to touring the exhibition, visitors will have the chance to see vehicles and equipment used by the Special Forces in their operations from the Second World War to the present day, which will be on display in the Salle Vauban. The pillars of the Invalides’ Cours d’Honneur display an introduction to each of the 16 units that make up the Special Forces.
Lastly, a unique display of photographs taken by Édouard Elias in March 2022, during the 192 hours he spent with the Special Forces in the Sahel as part of Operation Barkhane, completes the package. These photographs, commissioned from the artist by the Musée de l’Armée, are displayed on the museum’s exterior and on the Boulevard des Invalides gates, as well as in the moat located in the Rue de Grenelle, immersing visitors in the world of the Special Forces.
Booking
- Via the Musée de l’Armée’s online ticket office
- For group bookings: groupes@musee-armee.fr
- Digital guides (€5), available in English and in Spanish from the Museum’s tills.
Curators
- Christophe Bertrand, Heritage Curator, Head of the Contemporary Department, Musée de l’Armée
- Jordan Gaspin, Head of Collections, Contemporary Department, Musée de l’Armée
- Carine Lachèvre, Deputy Head of the Charles de Gaulle Historial Department, Musée de l’Armée
- Emmanuel Ranvoisy, Deputy Head of the Contemporary Department, Musée de l’Armée
- Col. (R) Alain, Special Operations Command Staff reservist
Assisted by:
Laurent Charbonneau, Anne-Sixtine Clévenot, Camille Cros, Clélia Jouvet, CWO Olivier Laurent, WO Rémi Lixandru, and Antoine Tromski
Scientific Council chaired by Army General Grégoire de Saint Quentin, (Ret.), former GSOC (2013-2016)
This exhibition has been produced in collaboration with the Special Operations Command (COS).
Partners
- This exhibition has been organised with generous support from the CIC, the Union des Blessés de la Face et de la Tête (Union of Individuals with Face and Head Injuries), Arquus, the Special Forces’ major patrons.
- With generous support from the cultural programming patrons MP-Sec, Unéo, LoisirAlp, Meindl and Preligens
- In partnership with the Cercle de l’Arbalète (the Federation of Special Forces and Special Units Equipment Manufacturers) and the Technical Section of the Army.
And with support from :
