Curtain falls on the Préparation Militaire de la Gendarmerie

Held within the Saint Joseph de la Navarre institution in La Crau, this demanding training coincided with the first anniversary of the partnership between the school's management and the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur gendarmerie region. The first PMG in the Var region was initiated in July 2024. This training allowed these men and women, aged 17 to 46 and from various backgrounds, to receive instruction combining close-order drill, military training, weapon handling, intervention techniques, ethics, and republican values, all within a schedule that left nothing to chance.

TRAINING AND SUPERVISION

During their two weeks of immersion, under the rigorous supervision of experienced instructors, the trainees progressively acquired the necessary skills to reinforce territorial units during public safety missions or other events. In the presence of families, guests, and military authorities, the new reservists received their certificates, a sign of their concrete commitment to the nation and marking the end of a training cycle, under the presidency of général de corps d’armée Arnaud BROWAEYS, commanding the Gendarmerie region of Provence-Alpes-Côted’Azur. The new reservists will carry out their first field missions alongside active-duty personnel to provide reinforcement. This training at the PMG illustrates the rising power of the operational reserve, which constitutes an essential link in the internal security system. Open to civil personnel motivated by serving the general interest, but not exclusively, it offers an enriching and rewarding experience close to the field.

TESTIMONIALS

Departmental coordinator for recruitment, also deputy to the Head of the Service Réserve Jeunesse, adjudant Nicolas Moulin specifies: “The operational reserve of the Var, led by Major Ben Hamouda, has seen, with this latest class, its workforce exceed 700 reservists. The operational reserve mainly intervenes as reinforcement for territorial units, legal knowledge, across the four corners of the department, but also during specific missions. The high Var sector is as sought after as the coastline, and our reservists are all motivated by the diversity of missions.” He continues: “As I am in charge of promoting recruitment for candidates for the positions of gendarmes adjoints volontaires, the corps of Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers, many reservists choose, after a successful experience within the reserve, to try the different competitive examinations. Several Var reservists, having passed the various tests, will soon join the gendarmerie's non-commissioned officers' school as well as the military academy of the Gendarmerie Nationale.” This first year with the partnership of the institution de la Navarre marks an important step in the development of this Var training. Set to become permanent for future training sessions, there is no doubt that many candidates will be interested in joining the operational reserve, where civic engagement is highlighted, along with the transmission of the fundamental values of discipline, loyalty, respect, and sense of duty.