Republican Guard (France)

Brazilian President Lula reviewing the Republican Guard in 2005.

These ceremonial functions are performed mainly by the first infantry regiment, the cavalry regiment and occasionally by the second infantry regiment.

Detachments from the cavalry regiment reinforce the two infantry regiments in carrying out ceremonial and security duties in and around state buildings. These include the lining of both sides of the entry stairs of the Elysée or Matignon Palaces (and other buildings) by dismounted cavalry on special occasions. These Republican Guards belong to the Cavalry Regiment and not to the infantry units whose mission is to ensure the security of these palaces and of senior government figures. Certain ceremonial duties in the form of honour guards are performed during state visits to the Paris museums or the Opera, as well as during other ceremonies (for example at the French Academy).[3]

Although the ceremonial duties attract more public attention, more than 80% of the missions assigned to the Garde are security missions. These include missions performed for the state such as protection of state buildings but also missions performed for the benefit of the population (for example patrols in the parks and streets).

• Security missions
• 
  Guard counter-snipers (observateurs-contre-tireurs)
• 
  Mounted guards in service dress patrolling near the Louvre
• 
  Escorting a rider demonstration in Paris
• 
  Guard intervention team (peloton d'intervention)

Presidential escort, 8 May 2018

Some guards are assigned to more specific missions:

• Security of diplomatic bags entering and leaving the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the airports.
• Safety of sport events such as the Tour de France cyclist race by the motorcycle squadron.
• Reinforcement and support to the Departmental Gendarmerie
• Assistance and coopereration in foreign countries and especially in former French colonies.

Cavalry.

Mounted band.

Headquartered in the Quartier des Célestins, and Quartier Carnot barracks the cavalry regiment is made up of approx. 480 gendarmes and civilians of which a little more than 10% are women. It has approximately 550 horses (11% mares) and remains the last mounted regiment in the French armed forces.

The regiment is composed of:

• Three squadrons[5] of cavalry (the first is based at Quartier des Célestins, in Paris, and two others based at Quartier Carnot, also in Paris at the fringe of Bois de Vincennes),
• Reserve squadron
• A squadron hors rang (based at Les Célestins) and composed of:
  • mounted band
  • horse-shoeing (farriers),
  • veterinary service.
• The training centre (centre d'instruction) at Quartier Goupil Saint-Germain-en-Laye)
• Hunting Horns Platoon (Trompes de Chasse de la Garde)

This unit has a section of high level sportsmen, in particular Hubert Perring, dressage champion of France in 2005, and member of the French team for the World Equestrian Games of 2006.

The Guard Cavalry Regiment is twinned with the British Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, the Italian Carabinieri Cavalry Regiment and the Senegalese Red Guard.

Exhibition drill squads present five shows and reenactments:

• le carrousel des lances (the lancer's carrousel);
• la maison du Roy (the King's household cavalry);
• la reprise des tandems (the tandem riders);
• la reprise des douze (demonstration/lesson with 12 riders);
• l’équipe de démonstration de sécurité publique (modern mounted police demonstration)

• Special displays of the cavalry regiment
• 
  The lancer's carrousel
• 
  La Maison du Roy reenactment
• 
  The tandem riders
• 
  Public security demonstration team

Republican Guard Infantry in ceremonial uniform.

The Republican Guard has two regiments of infantry:

• The first infantry regiment is composed of :
  • The Republican Guard Band and Bugles (military band and fanfare battery unit)
  • Motorcycle squadron
  • Compagnie de sécurité de la Présidence de la république (presidential palace security company)
  • Three compagnies de sécurité et d'honneur (security and honor companies)
• the second regiment of infantry is composed of :
  • Compagnie de sécurité de l'Hôtel Matignon (prime minister security company)
  • Compagnie de sécurité des palais nationaux (CSPN) (national palaces security company; i.e., national assembly and senate)
  • Four compagnies de sécurité et d'honneur (CSH)
  • Auxiliary platoon.

Each of the seven security and honor companies is composed of three regular sections (i.e., platoons) and one peloton d'intervention (intervention platoon). The regular sections perform ceremonial duties and guards. The intervention platoons provide special security in the government buildings and palaces protected by the Guard. They are also tasked with police missions in support of the Gendarmerie in the Paris area (home arrests, escorts etc.). One of the seven intervention platoons is permanently deployed on a rotational basis to either French Guiana in support of forces combating illegal gold mining or to another French oversea territory (typically Guadeloupe or Saint Martin).

• Bayonet drill team (quadrille des baïllonnettes; 1st régiment)
• The battery fanfare band
• The Napoleonic Drumline, made up of drummers wearing uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars
• Emperor's grenadiers company, serving as a reenacting unit (2nd régiment)
• Motorcycle display teams

• Special displays of the infantry regiments
• 
  Quadrille des baïonnettes
• 
  Les grenadiers de l'Empereur reenactment company
• 
  Carrousel motocycliste
• 
  Équipe d'acrobatie

Orchestra of the Republican Guard

Depending on needs, the orchestra performs in three configurations:

• the concert band (80 musicians)
• the string orchestra (40 musicians), likely to be presented in configurations of 24 or 12 bows, or in string quartets
• Symphony orchestra (80 musicians)

It was founded in 1848 by Jean-Georges Paulus.

This men's choir is composed of 46 professional singers. In spite of its name (Choir of the French army), it is part of the Garde républicaine and thus reports to the Gendarmerie and through the Ministers of the Armed Forces and Interior (owing to the military character of the service). The choir performs mainly during official ceremonies and commemorations but also during festivals and sport events of national and international importance. Since 2007, it has been led by a woman, Major Aurore Tillac, who serves as choir master and director.