When world leaders converged, France's most elite intervention unit wasn't far behind. In fact, they were probably there ages before. The Groupe d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale was engaged at full strength in Evian-les-Bains, where France hosted the G7 Summit from June 15 to 17, 2026, marking the second time the lakeside resort city served as the backdrop for a gathering of that magnitude. According to the unit's own communication, nearly one hundred GIGN operators were on the ground across all venues for the duration of the three-day summit, covering every layer of the security architecture alongside the broader French interior security apparatus. The GIGN's presence spanned all of its components, a reflection of the event's complexity and threat profile. The summit security framework included tiered protection zones around Evian, with access controls, identity checks, and vehicle restrictions that put enormous operational demands on the personnel managing them. For the GIGN, an event like this was both a protection and a contingency mission, requiring the unit to sustain readiness across every scenario while remaining largely invisible. Hosting seven of the world's most powerful heads of state in a small Alpine town on the Swiss border was precisely the kind of assignment that puts elite gendarmerie units to the test. "Cette semaine, Evian est au centre du monde," the unit noted simply. That week, Evian was the center of the world.For more action on water, with guns, check out The Zulu Marine 33P High-Speed RIB.Photo: GIGN