A premotor structure located ventral to the abducens nucleus within the reticular formation that is responsible for horizontal gaze and ipsilateral saccades, including generation of a horizontal saccadic pulse and other eye and head movements. It includes several functional cell groups in the pontine and medullary reticular formation, such as the oral pontine reticular nucleus and the caudal pontine reticular nucleus, including the dorsomedial tegmental area. Projections from the frontal eye field go directly and indirectly (via the superior colliculus) to the contralateral paramedian pontine reticular formation.