2e REI: 2020 Change of Command | French Foreign Legion Information

At the Caserne colonel Chabrières, the military headquarters of the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (2e REI) in southern France’s Nîmes, a Change of Command ceremony occurred in early August 2020.

Having recently returned from Africa, the 2e REI legionnaires saw Colonel Arnaud Guerry leaving them and their regiment after his prescribed two-year stay as the commanding officer. He knew the regiment well. He had begun to serve with it as a young lieutenant, a platoon leader with the Combat Support Company (CEA) in 2000.

The same stands for Colonel Geoffroy Desgrées du Loû who was appointed as a new commanding officer for the next two years. Even this French officer (born in 1976) started his military career with the 2e REI as a young lieutenant, in 2001, after studies at the prestigious Military Academy of Saint-Cyr (1997-2000). He would serve with the 2e REI as a platoon leader, a first lieutenant and a company commander, until 2008. Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 2013, he would command the Training & Operations Bureau of the 4th Foreign Regiment (4e RE), the training unit of the French Foreign Legion. Colonel in 2019, he returned to the 2e REI in August 2020 to become its commanding officer. Wish him good luck!

The August was chosen instead of regular July because of the regiment’s five-month deployment in Africa. In February 2020, the HQ Company (CCL), 1st Company, 3rd Company, 4th Company and 5th Company were deployed to the Sahel region to participate in Operation Barkhane, until July 2020. At the same time, the 2nd Company was being stationed in Senegal (also Africa). It has been the largest deployment for the 2e REI since Operation Daguet (Gulf War) in 1990-91.

Colonel Geoffroy Desgrées du Loû - 2e REI - 2020 Change of Command — Colonel *Geoffroy Desgrées du Loû*, the new CO of the 2e REI.

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