Since the end of the Algerian decolonization war in 1962, French forces have been involved in many overseas operations, mostly in Africa, Afghanistan and the Middle East. From1991, French forces adjusted to a wide range of new operational challenges, while still applying the basic principles of combat and practising a reinforced interoperability at multinational, inter-agency, and joint levels. Heavily committed overseas, and infused with a specific expeditionary institutional culture, French military forces are positioned at the forefront of European and NATO forces. However, as the majority of the long-term plans for stability in Africa and in the Middle East are likely to require sustained military and security efforts, the cost of French actions is having a major impact on the national defence budget. In addition, the huge involvement of military forces on national soil (Operation ‘Sentinelle’) as a result of terrorist strikes in Paris could possibly limit the foreign interventions in the near future.