Paris (AFP) – Thousands of members of the French armed forces will set up a vast tented camp in Paris next summer to stay while they help ensure security for the Olympic Games, the French military said.
Some 5,000 soldiers will camp on the Pelouse de Reuilly, a huge open area in the east of Paris known for the gigantic annual fair it hosts, the city's top military official General Christophe Abad told reporters.
"It has the great benefit of being extremely close to the heart of Paris," he added, lauding the proximity of the "place where they stay and the place where they will be deployed."
It still remains unclear how many members of the French armed forces will be deployed to bolster the police and gendarmes on duty -- but observers believe some 15,000 soldiers could be deployed.
Some 30,000 police and gendarmes are expected to be on duty each day as well as 17,000 private security employees for the period of the Olympic and Paralympic Games which will extend from July 26 to September 8.