Special Operations Command | |
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Commandement des opérations spéciales (COS) | |
![]() | |
Founded | 24 June 1992 |
Country | ![]() |
Type | Operational command |
Role | Special operations |
Size | 3,746 authorized personnel
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Part of | Ministry of Armed Forces |
Headquarters | Hexagone Balard, Paris, France |
Nickname(s) | COS |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Major General Michel Delpit |
The Commandement des Opérations Spéciales (English: Special Operations Command) or COS is a joint staff charged with overseeing the various special forces of the French Army, Navy and Air and Space Force, bringing them all under a single operational authority. The command is placed under the orders of the Chief of Defence Staff and under the direct authority of the President of the French Republic.[1]
Similar in purpose to the USSOCOM or UKSF, the COS was created on June 24, 1992. The need for such a federation became apparent after France's participation in the First Gulf War.