The
Commandement des Opérations Spéciales (
COS; "Special Operations Command") is the organisation which coordinates the use of the
French special forces of all military branches (
Army,
Navy, and
Air Force). Similar to
USSOCOM, COS was created on 24 June 1992, following the
Gulf War. Its role is to direct and coordinate missions for special forces units; these are permanently under its direct command and immediately available for action.The command is led by a two star (U.S. equivalent of one star) general or flag officer.