Foreign Legion: 2026 Changes of Command in Five Regiments

In summer 2026, the French Foreign Legion saw five changes of command at the regimental level, reflecting the French Army’s regular two-year command rotation cycle. These changes affected units stationed in metropolitan France and overseas, including some of the Legion’s most prominent operational formations.

2026 Change of Command: 2e REI in Nîmes

Colonel Nathanaël Ponticelli took command of the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (2e REI) in Nîmes on June 26, 2026, relieving Colonel Miailhes. Born in 1984, Ponticelli first joined the 2e REI after completing infantry officer training in 2008 and remained with the regiment until 2015, serving notably as a platoon leader and company commander. He then became an instructor and trained junior officers until 2018. After attending the War College in Paris, he returned to the 2e REI in 2021 as head of operations. In 2023, he was assigned to the Armed Forces Staff, before returning to officer education in 2025 as an instructor at the Army War College. His operational experience includes deployments in French Guiana, the Gulf of Guinea, Africa, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Afghanistan, as well as missions in metropolitan France. A Saint-Cyr graduate and War College-qualified officer, Ponticelli also holds degrees in engineering and in geopolitics, and earned a doctorate in history. He is a Knight of the Legion of Honor and a recipient of the Cross for Military Valor with two citations.

2e REI - 2 REI - Foreign Legion - 2026 Change of Command - Colonel Nathanaël Ponticelli - 2026 — Colonel *Nathanaël Ponticelli*, 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment.

2026 Change of Command: 13e DBLE in La Cavalerie

At Camp Larzac on July 10, 2026, Colonel Clément Launay succeeded outgoing Colonel Brunet as the commanding officer of the 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade (13e DBLE). Born in 1982, Launay entered the prestigious Saint-Cyr Military Academy in 2003 and, after graduating in 2006, completed infantry officer training in Montpellier before joining the French Foreign Legion in 2007. He first served with the 4e RE as a training platoon leader, then moved to the 2e REP. He served there from 2008 to 2014, first as a combat platoon leader and later as commander of the 2nd Company. His operational deployments included Gabon, two tours in Afghanistan, and Mali during Operation Serval in 2013. After assignments as an infantry analyst and as aide-de-camp to the French prime minister, he attended the Army War College and the War College. From 2020 to 2022, he served in the French Army Staff before returning to the Legion as head of the 13e DBLE’s Operations and Training Bureau. He later joined the headquarters of the 6th Light Armored Brigade and deployed to Estonia as France’s Senior National Representative and deputy commander of Operation Cabrit. Launay is a Knight of the Legion of Honor, an Officer of the National Order of Merit, and a recipient of the Cross for Military Valor with two citations.

13e DBLE - 13 DBLE - Foreign Legion - 2026 Change of Command - Colonel Clément Launay - 2026 — Colonel *Clément Launay*, 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade.

2026 Change of Command: 2e REP in Calvi

On July 21, 2026, Colonel Mathias Falzone assumed command of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) in Calvi, Corsica, taking over from Colonel Oudet de Dainville. Also born in 1982, Falzone is a graduate of the Saint-Cyr (2003–2006) and began his career with the 2e REP, serving as a combat platoon leader, head of the elite GCP (Parachute Commando Group), and later commander of the 1st Company, until 2014. He returned to the 2e REP from 2022 to 2024 as head of the operations and training bureau before joining the French Army staff. Falzone has deployed on operations in Africa, Afghanistan, and the Middle East. He is a Knight of the Legion of Honor and holds the Cross for Military Valor with two citations.

2e REP - 2 REP - Foreign Legion - 2026 Change of Command - Colonel Mathias Falzone - 2026 — Colonel *Mathias Falzone*, 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment.

2026 Change of Command: 3e REI in Kourou

Colonel Paul-Henri Gauzence de Lastours took command of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI) in Kourou, French Guiana, on July 23, 2026, relieving Colonel Grossin. He entered the academy of Saint-Cyr in 2006 and completed his training the following year. He reached the rank of colonel in March 2026. Gauzence de Lastours had already served with the 3e REI before returning as its commanding officer, in the early 2020s. He also holds advanced military studies qualifications awarded in 2019. In July 2026, he was named a Knight of the Legion of Honor.

3e REI - 3 REI - Foreign Legion - 2026 Change of Command - Colonel Paul-Henri Gauzence de Lastours - 2026 — Colonel *Paul-Henri Gauzence de Lastours*, 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment.

2026 Change of Command: GRLE in Paris

At Fort de Nogent on July 23, 2026, Lieutenant Colonel Samir Benykrelef succeeded Lieutenant Colonel Dieulangard as commander of the Foreign Legion Recruiting Group (GRLE). Benykrelef began his military career in the late 1990s as a non-commissioned officer in the French artillery and was admitted to a military school in 2002, subsequently becoming a commissioned officer. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 2021. His previous assignments include service with the 3e REI in French Guiana in the late 2010s, as deputy head of the regiment’s operations and training bureau and president of the officers’ corps. In 2024, after 27 years of service in the French Army, he was appointed a Knight of the Legion of Honor.

GRLE - Foreign Legion - 2026 Change of Command - Lieutenant Colonel Samir Benykrelef - 2026 — Lieutenant Colonel *Samir Benykrelef*, Foreign Legion Recruiting Group.

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