The
Troupes coloniales ("Colonial Troops") or
Armée coloniale ("Colonial Army"), commonly called
La Coloniale, were the military forces of the
French colonial empire from 1900 until 1961. From 1822 to 1900 these troops were designated
Troupes de marine ("Marine Troops" or just "Marines"), and in 1961 they readopted this name. They were recruited from mainland France or from the French settler and indigenous populations of the empire. This force played a substantial role in the conquest of the empire, in
World War I,
World War II, the
First Indochina War and the
Algerian War.