On Friday, January 26, 2024, an honor detachment of the French Foreign Legion represented the French Army during the 75th Republic Day Parade that took place at the Kartavya Path in New Delhi, India. Along with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron attended the ceremony as a special guest.
2e CSPL: 1950s, 1960s Color Film Collection
Watch absolutely unique, very rare amateur footages depicting Foreign Legion ceremonies in Laghouat, Algeria in the 1950s and 1960s. At that time, the town was home to one of the Legion’s Saharan companies: 2nd Legion Saharan Motorized Company (2e CSPL). Two of the rare films are in color.
4e RE: A 2023 short documentary on the Foreign Legion’s method of integration
Watch a short documentary film produced by VA+, the online media branch of the Valeurs Actuelles (“Current Values”), a French conservative weekly magazine. The reporter, Antoine You, visited the 4th Foreign Regiment (4e RE) in Castelnaudary and tried to understand how the Foreign Legion integrates members of dozens of different nationalities coming from all over the world.
Read more4e RE: A 2023 short documentary on the Foreign Legion’s method of integration
French Foreign Legion in 2024
Created in 1831, the French Foreign Legion is an integral part of the French (Land) Army (Armée de Terre) and thus an element of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces. In 2024, the Foreign Legion is composed of almost 9,500 officers, NCOs, and legionnaires, comprising around 150 nationalities from all over the world. They represent 12% of France’s Land Operational Force (FOT).
1er REC: A longest-serving active member of the French Armed Forces left the Foreign Legion after 44 years of service
In November 2023, Brigadier-chief Manuel Da Costa left the French Foreign Legion, reaching the age limit of 62 years for an active soldier. With 44 years of service, this senior corporal was the longest-serving active member not only of the Legion, but also of the entire French Armed Forces.
2023 Legion Christmas nativity scenes
For the French Foreign Legion, seen as a traditional pro-Catholic institution in France (unlike the rest of the French Army), Christmas Eve marks the second most important holiday. To celebrate it, legionnaires in all units of the Foreign Legion – regardless of their origin and religious – create nativity scenes (crèches) every year and compete to see which one is the nicest and most original. The scenes can be small, static ones, or performed live with hand-made scenery. This long-standing Legion tradition is unique within the French Army. If you are interested, see some of the nativity scenes created by legionnaires in December 2023.