2e Régiment Etranger d’Infanterie, 2e REI. The longest-serving regiment of the French Foreign Legion. It is also the first French regiment to use mounted companies (i.e., companies composed of mule-mounted troops) in North Africa. Today, the 2e REI is considered a modern motorized infantry unit. Since November 1983, it has been stationed in the Caserne Colonel de Chabrières in Nîmes (Southern France), a city with a rich history dating back to the Roman Empire.
The unit inherited the lineage of the 2nd Foreign Legion Regiment (2e RLE), created in Algeria in April 1841. The 2e REI was deactivated two times: during World War II (between 1943 and 1945) and again in January 1968, following its departure from Africa. It was reactivated in Corsica in September 1972.
The 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment served all over the world, including Algeria, Crimea, Italy, Mexico, French Indochina, Madagascar, Morocco, Syria, France, Chad, Lebanon, Iraq, the former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and the Sahel region in Sub-Saharan Africa.
History of the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment
See the history of the 2e REI during the 1841-2016 period, from the early Pacification of Algeria until modern deployments to Africa. Well-ordered data, including dozens of pictures from all decades:
History of the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment
Current structure of the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment
The regiment is divided (in 2024) into 6 companies (including 5 combat companies). It comprises around 1,300 officers and legionnaires. A reserve company consisting of non-Legion reservists is also assigned to the 2e REI.
The 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment is the oldest operational regiment of the Foreign Legion. It has been furnished with modern equipment (SCORPION program, FELIN system, Griffon armored infantry vehicles, etc.). Its legionnaires are experts in motorized infantry combat operations and landing operations. Each of its companies has at its disposal one platoon equipped with 81 mm mortars. In May 2023, the 5th Company was disbanded. As for the Combat Support Company (CA, ex-CEA), it includes a portable medium-range anti-tank missile system platoon (MMP, which replaced a previous system, MILAN), a sniper platoon (STE), a commando-like SAED platoon, and a new “robotics” intelligence platoon equipped with drones.
The 2e REI serves as an infantry regiment of the 6th Light Armored Brigade (6e BLB). Other Legion regiments comprise part of this brigade too: the 1er REC, 1er REG, and 13e DBLE.
In 2024, the 2e REI is composed of:
- HQ & Logistics Company (Compagnie de Commandement et de Logistique, CCL)
- 1st Company (1re Compagnie, 1re CIE)
- 2nd Company (2e Compagnie, 2e CIE)
- 3rd Company (3e Compagnie, 3e CIE)
- 4th Company (4e Compagnie , 4e CIE)
- Combat Support Company (Compagnie d’Appui, CA)
- 8th Reserve Company (8e Compagnie de Réserve, 8e CIE)
| NICKNAME: | 2e Étranger (2nd Foreign) |
|---|---|
| ACTIVATION: | 1841 |
| MOTTO: | Être Prêt (Be ready) |
| REGIM. MARCH: | Anne-Marie du 2e REI |
| OFFIC. FB PAGE: | 2e Régiment Étranger d’Infanterie |
| FFL INFO POSTS: | 2e REI’s category |
Location of the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment
<-- Back to French Foreign Legion Units