New Caledonia Military Forces 🇳🇨

Strategic Position

New Caledonia is a French overseas collectivity with a sui generis status that grants the French state exclusive authority over defense, justice, and internal security. Located in the southwest Pacific, the territory is a cornerstone of France's Indo-Pacific strategy, facilitating the protection of an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) exceeding 1.4 million square kilometers.

The primary security concerns involve maintaining territorial integrity, monitoring maritime resources against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) within the South Pacific. Following civil unrest in mid-2024, internal security and the preservation of public order have become elevated strategic priorities.

France participates in the FRANZ arrangement alongside Australia and New Zealand to coordinate regional disaster responses. It also engages in the "Pacific Quad" with the United States, Australia, and New Zealand to monitor maritime activities in the region. Bilateral military cooperation with Australia, formalised in various roadmaps, includes joint participation in exercises such as Pitch Black, Kakadu, and Talisman Sabre. The July 2025 "Bougival Accord" established a framework for a transition toward a "State of New Caledonia" within the French Republic, with a referendum scheduled for 2026. Under this agreement, France retains sovereign control over defense and foreign policy.

Military Forces

The Armed Forces in New Caledonia (FANC - Forces armées de Nouvelle-Calédonie) operate as a joint-service command under the authority of a Superior Commander (COMSUP FANC), typically a Brigadier General based in Nouméa. The force serves as the primary French military hub in the Pacific, working in tandem with forces in French Polynesia.

The FANC comprises approximately 1,750 to 2,000 permanent and rotational personnel, categorized by branch:

Land Forces The land component is centered on the Pacific Marine Infantry Regiment (RIMaP-NC), headquartered in Plum with additional bases in Nouméa and Nandaï. The regiment consists of approximately 700 personnel, of which roughly 80 percent are on four-month short-term rotations from metropolitan France. The unit maintains amphibious and jungle warfare capabilities suited for the regional terrain.

Naval Forces Based at the Pointe Chaleix Naval Base in Nouméa, the naval component focuses on sovereignty patrols and maritime surveillance. The fleet operates a Floréal-class surveillance frigate, Vendémiaire, and a d'Entrecasteaux-class patrol and support vessel. As part of a force modernization program, the navy operates Félix Éboué-class offshore patrol vessels (POM), with the second unit, Jean Tranape, scheduled for deployment in 2026. The component also maintains an EDA-S landing craft for logistical support and amphibious operations.

Air Forces The air component is based at Air Base 186 (BA 186) "Lieutenant Paul Klein" at Tontouta. Equipment includes CN235 tactical transport aircraft and Puma helicopters. Naval aviation assets provide maritime surveillance and search-and-rescue (SAR) capabilities, currently transitioning from Falcon 200 Gardian aircraft to Falcon 50 and eventually Falcon 2000 Albatros platforms. Dauphin helicopters are utilized for shipborne operations.

Paramilitary Forces The National Gendarmerie maintains a substantial presence for internal security and public order. Permanent personnel numbers are approximately 850, though this figure was increased to over 3,000 during the 2024-2025 security crisis. The Gendarmerie operates Centaure armored riot control vehicles and Écureuil helicopters.

Strategic Trends

The current defense posture is defined by a shift toward long-term internal stabilization following the 2024 unrest. This has led to a sustained increase in Gendarmerie deployments and the permanent stationing of specialized riot control assets. Modernization efforts focus on the maritime domain, specifically the arrival of the POM patrol vessels designed to enhance the endurance of sovereignty patrols in the EEZ.

France is also expanding the "Pacific Academy" (formerly the Pacific Leaders Training Centre) in New Caledonia to serve as a regional hub for training military and internal security officials from neighboring Pacific Island states. This initiative is part of a broader effort to counter foreign influence—notably from China and Russia—and to professionalize regional security forces. Defense remains a centralized French function, with no current plans to develop a domestic New Caledonian military industrial base; the territory remains entirely reliant on metropolitan France for equipment procurement and maintenance.