France

U.S. President Donald Trump will attempt to mend some fences with the French as he arrived in Paris today. Trump a year ago characterized Paris as an unsafe city due to terrorism will mark the French national holiday, Bastille Day, hold counter-terrorism talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and mark the US’ 100^th anniversary of entering World War I.

The president left Washington on Wednesday evening and arrived in Paris at 9 a.m. local time. He’s scheduled to meet with Macron and French military leaders later today before issuing a statement to the press.

Before departing the U.S., the president gave several interviews at the White House, including an extended conversation with Pat Robertson of the Christian Broadcasting Network, a prominent figure in conservative political and religious circles.
A year ago Trump described Paris as “so, so, so out of control, so dangerous,” because of terrorists operating there. More recently he suggested that Islamic State attacks in Paris had diminished its standing as a world-class destination.
As he pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 international Paris accord to control greenhouse gas emissions, Trump said he was elected to represent “Pittsburgh, not Paris.” Nevertheless, he subsequently accepted President Macron’s invitation to attend the country’s annual mid-July celebrations.
During his two-day visit, Trump will meet with Macron, whose political fortunes have soared this year. The U.S. president also will lunch with military officials, tour the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte and join in Bastille Day celebrations Friday.
The two leaders are scheduled to meet Thursday before speaking to reporters.
On Friday, Trump and his wife, Melania, will attend the annual Bastille Day parade, which will include both French and U.S. military personnel.

There is hope in some circles that the Trump visit will mend some fences between the allies who fought two world wars together after the president’s criticism of the city and the government during the 2016 election.

To read the entire article from Voice of America click here:

Photo courtesy White House

France’s Naval Commandos (or Commandos Marine in French) are a unit of Special Forces that operate under the Naval Rifle and Special Forces Command as well as the Special Operations Command. They have bases across the country, but mainly in the Northern (Brittany) area.

French Commando Marine Officially active since 1947, the Naval Commandos can trace their lineage back to World War II, when the famous Phillipe Kieffer modeled a unit of Free French navy volunteers upon the British commandos. Kieffer led these men ashore on June 6, 1944 as part of the D-Day operation and assaulted the resort town of Ouistreham. This action remains their most famous battle.

Candidates who wish to enter the modern Naval Commandos must be Fusiliers Marins with at least 9 months service. What they enter is widely regarded as one of the toughest courses in NATO Special Operations Forces.

Called Stage Commando, it entails one week of physical and mental testing, 6 weeks of preparatory training, 4 weeks evaluation, commando skills for 7 weeks, and 2 weeks paratrooper training. Any mistake made by the candidate may mean instant disqualification. Every effort is made to uncover strengths and weaknesses of each recruit. Some of the tasks they endure include heavy pack marches dozens of kilometers in length, marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, counter-terrorism, explosives, navigation, special combat etiquette and waterborne combat strokes.

All of these take place with little rest between, and only two hours sleep per night are permitted. Recruits are awakened to the sound of grenade simulators, and little comfort is permitted by the instructors, who reward mistakes with grueling physical exercises.

For those who complete the training, the reward is donning the bérets verts (Green berets, of which the French nicknamed the commandos), and joining a small group of approximately 500 men to carry on the legacy of Phillipe Kieffer’s creation. For this, they will be assigned to one of six specialized commando units named after former officers killed in action:

Commando Hubert: Combat divers/Underwater operations
Commando Jaubert: Seaborne assault/Exfiltration/Close quarter battle at sea
Commando Trepel: Seaborne assault/Exfiltration
Commando De Montfort: Long range attack/ Fire support (Missile, Mortar, Sniper).
Commando Kieffer: C3I (Command, Control Communications, Intelligence) and Military dogs.

Though united under the motto of Honneur, Patrie, Valeur, Discipline (Honor, Homeland, Valor, Discipline), each commando detachment has a different badge, which the members wear on berets stationed on the left side, which keeps with the English commando style of World War II. This is the only French unit that does so.

Trump Arrives in Paris for Bastille Day, CT Talks

France’s Commandos Marine