On September 29, 2026, the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) of the French Foreign Legion celebrated Saint Michael’s Day, honoring the archangel who is the patron saint of all French paratroopers. This year, the regiment left its home base at Calvi and took the celebration into the mountains of Corsica.
1er REG: 1re CCG’s SAR Builds Reinforced Training Trench
In September 2026, legionnaires from the Support and Reconnaissance Platoon (SAR) of the 1st Combat Engineer Company (1re CCG) within the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) completed a demanding eight-day field project: the construction of a reinforced trench stretching over 330 feet (around 100 meters).
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2e REG: French Guiana in 2026
In early September 2026, the 1st Company of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) returned to the regiment’s home base at Saint-Christol, in southeastern France, after a five-month deployment to French Guiana, France’s overseas department on the northeastern coast of South America. Commanded by Captain Clément S., the company had deployed to the territory in early April.
DOCUMENTS: 1926 Citation of the 1st Battalion, 2e REI
The DOCUMENTS series returns with a new item. Today we feature a presentation folder containing the citation commemorating the 1st Battalion 2e REI, and one of the last hard-fought actions of the Rif War in Morocco: the battle for Djebel Iskritten in May 1926.
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3e REI: 2026 Fourragère Day
On September 12, 2026, the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI) celebrated Fourragère Day, its regimental day, in Kourou, French Guiana. The day honors the history and sacrifices of the regiment and of its predecessor, the Foreign Legion Marching Regiment (RMLE, 1915–1920). Usually held on September 14, the date was moved this year because the regiment is currently committed to protecting the Guiana Space Center.
2e REI: 2026 El Moungar Day
On Wednesday evening, September 2, 2026, the 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment (2e REI) commemorated the 123rd anniversary of the Battle of El Moungar, the 1903 desert engagement whose date became the regiment’s main holiday. After last year’s ceremony at the regimental barracks in Nîmes, southern France, the event returned to the Roman amphitheater (Arena) in the center of the city, built in the first century AD and still in use today.
2e REG: Martinique in 2026
At the end of August 2026, the 2nd Company of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) wrapped up a four-month deployment to Martinique, a French overseas region in the Caribbean, and traded the tropics for the high mountains of southeastern France, where the regiment is garrisoned at Saint-Christol. The company had arrived on the island in late April.
3e REI: 2026 Change of Command (Video)
As we reported earlier, the French Foreign Legion went through a whole series of changes of command this summer, with several of its regiments getting new commanding officers. One of them was the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI), the only Legion unit permanently stationed in South America. On July 23, 2026, Colonel Grossin handed over command of the regiment to Colonel Gauzence de Lastours at a ceremony held at its home base in Kourou, French Guiana, a French overseas department on the northeastern coast of the continent.
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.
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Foreign Legion: 2026 Change of Command
On August 1, 2026, Brigadier General Christophe Passerat de La Chapelle took officially command of the French Foreign Legion and became the new Père Légion, or “Father of the Legion.” He succeeded Major General Cyrille Youchtchenko, who had led the elite corps for the past three years.
An Italian Legionnaire’s Photo Journey Through the Legion, 1987–1992
Summer is traditionally a quiet season for Legion news, but a nice photo slideshow is well worth a look while things wind down. Posted on YouTube by an Italian former legionnaire, the video takes viewers through his five years of service in the French Foreign Legion, from August 1987 to August 1992, most of it spent with the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP).
Read moreAn Italian Legionnaire’s Photo Journey Through the Legion, 1987–1992