GIGN

The GIGN (Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale) is the French Gendarmerie's elite intervention group (SWAT team).

Its missions include:

• the arrest of gunmen, in particular those taking hostages;
• counterterrorism, including airplane hijacking.

It is headquartered in Satory, west of Paris. Along with the EPIGN it forms the GSIGN (Groupe de Sécurité et d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale, Group of Security and Intervention of the National Gendarmerie).

Past actions included:

• the assault on the Ouvéa cave;
• the assault on the hijacked Air France Flight 8969 at Christmas 1994;

Training includes:

• shooting and marksmanship;
• combat sports, including police dogs, diving, parachutism, explosives, survival, the education in those various capabilities being dispensed by the appropriate training centers of the French military.

See also

• EPIGN
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