In the intertropical zone, malaria is one of the main natural infectious threats faced by French military personnel. A specific surveillance system has been in place within the French armed forces since 1987. Methods—A case of malaria is defined as any clinical manifestation with parasitological or immunological evidence of Plasmodium. Cases occurring in French military personnel are reported, whether they occur in France or abroad. Annual incidence rates were calculated using average troop strength and the number of troops deployed to malaria-endemic areas. Results - In 2006, 558 cases of malaria were reported to the French Armed Forces surveillance system. The annual incidence rate was 1.4 per 100 personnel deployed to malaria-endemic areas. The average annual incidence rate was 3.4 per 100. Half of the cases were imported malaria. The proportion of severe cases was higher for imported malaria than for cases occurring in malaria-endemic areas (p=0.04). The three peaks in incidence occurred in March, June–July, and October. Plasmodium falciparum was responsible for 60.5% of reported cases. In 56.9% of cases, the affected military personnel were non-compliant with antimalarial chemoprophylaxis. Discussion - With the increase in imported malaria cases in the military since 2002, civilian physicians in France are now more likely to treat a military personnel presenting with a malaria attack. Unlike data on the civilian population, no increase was observed after the summer holidays. The diagnosis of malaria must always be considered in a service member presenting with fever, especially since adherence to antimalarial chemoprophylaxis is poor. (R.A.)