The U.S. Army War College provides an excellent environment for selected Army Officers and government civilians to reflect and use their career experience to explore a wide range of strategic issues. To assure that the research developed by Army War College students is available to Army and Department of Defense Leaders, the Strategic Studies Institute publishes selected papers in its Carlisle Papers in Security Strategy Series. "The Bases of French Peace Operations Doctrine" by Joseph Philippe Gregoire, a Foreign Service Officer who was a member of the U.S. Army War College Class of 2002, inaugurates this series. In this paper Mr. Gregoire provides a detailed assessment of the French approach to peace operations. As the United States adjusts its national security strategy to meet the challenges of the global war on terrorism, understanding the capabilities and interests of key allies will be particularly important.