Troupes de marine

Marine Troops
Troupes de Marine
Marine troops badge
Active	1622 – present (401 years)
Country	France
Branch	French Army
Type	Marines
Role	Amphibious warfare Expeditionary warfare Airborne forces
Size	> 17,000 men (2022)
Nickname(s)	Les marsouins (The porpoises) Les bigors (The winkles)
Motto(s)	Et au Nom de Dieu, vive la coloniale! ("And in the name of God, long live the Coloniale!")
Colors	Red and blue
March	Hymne de l'Infanterie de marine
Anniversaries	Bazeilles (31 August - 1 September)
Engagements	Siege of La Rochelle (1627-1628) Franco-Spanish War Franco-Dutch War Nine Years' War War of the Spanish Succession War of the Polish Succession King George's War Seven Years' War French and Indian War American Revolutionary War French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars First Franco-Mexican War Franco-Moroccan War Crimean War Second Opium War Cochinchina Campaign Second Franco-Mexican War Franco-Prussian War Sino-French war Tonkin campaign Second Madagascar expedition Boxer Rebellion First World War Second World War Indochina War Suez Crisis Algerian War Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (1978–present) Multinational Force in Lebanon (1982-1984) Gulf War Bosnian War Kosovo War War on terror War in Afghanistan (2001-2021) First Ivorian Civil War Second Ivorian Civil War Mali War Operation Serval (2013-2014) Operation Barkhane (2014-2022) Central African Republic Civil War Operation Sangaris (2013-2016)
Commanders
Current commander	Père de l'Arme ("Father of the Marine Corps") General Alain Vidal
Notable commanders	Général Joseph Gallieni Général Marcel Bigeard Jacques Testard de Montigny
Insignia
Beret badge of the Troupes de Marine
Abbreviation	TDM

The Troupes de Marine (lit. 'Marine Troops') or TDM, sometimes simply referred to as "French Marines" in English, are one of the major components of the French Army and comprise several specialties: infantry, airborne, armoured cavalry, artillery, engineering, and transmissions (signals). Characterized by their fundamental vocation for service beyond the seas, including in French overseas territories and, formerly, in French colonies, the Marines have taken part in all French military campaigns since the corps' foundation, both on home soil and in theaters of operations around the world. They are stationed in Metropolitan France, in many French overseas departments and territories, as well as in Africa.^[1][2]

Historically amphibious warfare specialists, the French Marines were pioneers of professionalization since the late 1960s and are well suited for military campaigns abroad. From Gabon in 1964 to Afghanistan in 2002, and from the First Gulf War in 1990 to Mali in 2013, their units took part in more than sixty military operations over six decades. As they represent a core asset of French expeditionary capabilities, they are highly trained soldiers and noted for their professionalism and strong esprit de corps.^[3][4][5] With a strength of over 17,000 men as of 2022, the Troupes de Marine consist of 26 regiments and amount to around 15% of the French Army.^[6]