GIGN was formed in Maisons-Alfort, near Paris, in 1973, shortly after the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics and other less-known incidents in France resulted in a need for … 展开

GIGN reports directly to the Director General of the Gendarmerie Nationale (DGGN), i.e., the chief of staff of the Gendarmerie, who in turn reports directly to the 展开

• Until 2014: Sauver des vies au mépris de la sienne ("To save lives without regard to one's own")
• Since 2014: S'engager pour la vie ("A commitment for life" ) 展开

On 9 December 2011, French Defense Minister Gérard Longuet, awarded the Cross for Military Valour to GIGN for its participation in operation Harmattan in … 展开

GIGN is currently organized in four "forces", a "détachement", an Engineering and Support division, a National Training Center for Specialized … 展开

Candidates undertake a one-week pre-selection screening followed by, for those accepted, a fourteen-month training program. Mental ability and self-control are important, in addition to … 展开

• Chef d'escadron Christian Prouteau: 1973–1982
• Capitaine Paul Barril: 1982–1983 (Interim) 展开