Gabon - Republican Guard
Garde Républicaine

1	Cabinet Com Chef
2	Direction Des Services Administratifs Et Financieres
3	B1
4	B3
5	B4
6	Direction Generale Des Services Speciaux
7	Direction De La Logistique
8	Service Technique Auto
9	Ordinaire
10	Direction De La Sante Militaire
11	Groupement Intervention Parachutiste
12	Groupement Aerien Presidentiel
13	Groupement Blinde D’Intervention
14	Service Du Materiel
15	Section Incendie
16	Section Nautique
17	Centre D’Instruction Libreville
18	Service Des Transmissions
19	1 èRe Compagnie
20	2 èMe Compagnie
21	3 èMe Compagnie
22	4 èMe Compagnie
23	Detachement De Franceville
24	Detachement De Leconi
25	Compagnie De Securite Rapprochee
26	Casernement
27	Musique
28	Service General Du Corps
29	Service D’Intervention Special

The Republican Guard is viewed as the most powerful and sophisticated of the security forces. It is primarily tasked with protecting the president and as a result is associated with regime stability. It rarely interacts with the public.

Gabon’s security forces include the army, navy, air force, gendarmerie, national police, and Republican Guard (organized as the Presidential Guard from 1960 to 1995), which is the most powerful force and provides security for the president. The primary duty of the security forces is to maintain internal security.

President Omar Bongo recruited members of his own ethnic group to the Presidential Guard (at various times known as the Republican Guard) and supplied them with better equipment. Today, the Republican Guard, although small in number, is generally reputed to surpass the army in capabilities. President Bongo also personally selected members of the paramilitary forces based on their ethnic or regional origins. Thus, while the army is dominated by Fang, most of the national security forces have ethnic and regional ties to Bongo.

The realization of the State of the places and the initial diagnosis helped to highlight the key elements that follow. Each year, the GR is more and more in demand; It must ensure the protection of the President of the Republic, more mobile and more in demand in the international context of the increase of travel and receptions. The GR is committed daily some 750 people for security missions and 150 for missions normal. It provides 15 missions per year who mobilize each 150 people during 3 days. It performs annually many missions abroad. The constitution of detachments in the province must be implemented without delay. The GR has recently experienced a strengthening of its staff and its response capabilities. However the GR is not yet managed to be entirely a force all criteria of the "Golden Army". The GR presents however a good availability, good responsiveness and a good level of preparation.

• The GR nevertheless suffers several difficulties: inadequate infrastructure for the exercises and the training; needs of a growing number of specialists; high cost of training with still a few weaknesses; heterogeneous and sometimes not materials adapted to the missions of the GR. need to review the Organization of maintenance, maintenance, repair, adaptation of its equipment and gear; necessary improvement of the working conditions of soldiers;
• It is essential to establish a dynamic of pooling with other Forces.
• Strengthen the protection of the President of the Republic in all places and in all circumstances
• Be able to ensure the safety of a growing number of official events and personalities
• Anticipate and prevent new threats or increased threats
• Gain operational capability in the exercise of all missions

Since the death of Omar Bongo on 08 June 2009 security and police forces were more present in the widely-traveled areas of Libreville. Republican Guard, in particular, now routinely maintained a presence at every major intersection and round-about along Libreville,s Bord de Mer. The Republican Guard stopped traffic numerous times to allow Gabonese officials to travel the streets unimpeded, often leaving commuter traffic along the major artery a tangled mess. Other times, the Republican Guard step in to help snarled traffic by waving through exceptionally long lines of vehicles and managing traffic flow. French advisors to the Republican Guard were noticeably present at some of the larger intersections. The Republican Guard's primary concern was to protect the Interim President, other high officials, symbolic infrastructure, as well as to secure the area around government buildings.