4e RE: 2025 Challenge of the Recruits | French Foreign Legion Information

A new video released on the official YouTube channel of the French Foreign Legion offers an authentic look into the final stage of basic training in the 4th Foreign Regiment (4e RE) in Castelnaudary. As part of the new combat hardening course (module d’aguerrissement), recruits face a series of intense physical and mental trials designed to test their resilience, endurance, and cohesion.

Introduced in mid-2024, this four-day course has become an essential component of the Legion’s basic training, taking place during the 10th week of instruction – just two to three weeks before the recruits join their future regiments.

This comprehensive combat hardening phase challenges trainees’ physical ability, mental courage, and the strength of teamwork. Key elements include the marche commando – a 5-mile (8 km) run with helmet, weapon, and a 24-pound (11 kg) pack –, swimming in combat uniform, and a confidence course (piste d’audace). Recruits also engage in close-quarters combat drills, reintegrated into the basic instruction to help build calm under pressure. The course features navigation in inflatable boats, a nighttime river crossing using a haul rope, rappelling from a bridge, and climbing with a caving ladder. It culminates in a collective obstacle course, a jump off a bridge, and the neutralization of an enemy in close combat.

This video captures the essence of what it truly means to become a légionnaire.

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