Special forces prepare Toujouse handover amid tense context

USSOCOM still in Q-West base two years after official withdrawal 

Although Washington had announced its complete withdrawal from the Q-West military base, US special forces are still there, with a mission to train the Golden Division, an elite unit of the Iraqi counter-terrorism service.

Paris juggles demand for MMP missiles for Ukraine and for export 

MMP missiles currently equip French troops stationed in Romania as well as Ukrainian fighters battling Russian forces. They are also earmarked for export, despite French stocks being lower than planned.

Secretive military intelligence unit Paros targets Islamic militants for elimination 

By staffing it, the French military intelligence directorate (DRM) has exposed the existence of its top-secret unit Paros. This unit is responsible for locating high-value targets for France's special forces to kill, as the country moves towards a two-pronged intelligence-special forces approach in the Sahel.

French Army commandos await new chief 

The surprise resignation of Eric Vidaud as head of French military intelligence, the DRM, in March is having all sorts of consequences on appointments in the French special forces.

CAE Aviation deploys new spy plane in Erbil 

As large numbers of Islamic State fighters continue to hide out in Northern Iraq, a new IRS plane from CAE Aviation, a supplier to French intelligence, began monitoring the area on 14 April.

Vidaud's surprise exit from military intelligence turns the armed forces upside down 

The abrupt departure on 30 March of the Director of Military Intelligence (DRM) Eric Vidaud triggered a power struggle within the armed forces for the future positions.

• ISRAEL/GULF - Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Manama eye Tel Aviv's anti-missile shield
  

• TURKEY/KAZAKHSTAN - Kazakh and Turkish military intelligence services strengthen rapprochement

• FRANCE - President Emmanuel Macron and Special Forces' love-in continues

French intelligence and army ponder spy plane hire from CAE 

As France begins to phase out the use of its Transall C-160 Gabriel planes, the air force and external intelligence service are considering an option to lease an high capacity aircraft from CAE Aviation, a provider that has long served France's airborne interception (SIGINT) missions.

Special forces general Bruno Baratz set to take over helm of Barkhane 

The three-star general Bruno Baratz, the head of France's special forces and former leader of the Eléments français au Sénégal (EFS), looks set to take charge of French operations in the Sahel in the coming days.