In late January 2026, General Cyrille Youchtchenko, the commander of the French Foreign Legion, visited the 5th Foreign Regiment (5e RE) stationed in Mayotte, a French overseas territory in the Indian Ocean.
50 Years Ago: The Foreign Legion’s First Counterterrorism Operation
In early February 1976, two French Foreign Legion units participated in an counterterrorism operation to rescue 31 French children kidnapped by Somali militants in the Horn of Africa. The extraordinary operation constitutes a significant episode in the history of the French Foreign Legion.
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1er RE: 2026 Regimental Exercise
In January 2026, the 1st Foreign Regiment (1er RE) in Aubagne, the French Foreign Legion’s “motherhouse” in southern France, held a regimental field exercise. Now wearing the new BME uniform but still carrying the trusty old FAMAS rather than the newer HK 416 F rifle (one of the last French Army units to do so), the 1er RE legionnaires completed a regimental march from Aubagne to Marseille, making their way through downtown in full kit. Then they moved on to live-fire range training, which wrapped up with a shared evening around the campfire, despite heavy rain. See the video.
4e RE: 2026 Remise de Kepi blanc in Strasbourg
On January 11, 2026, a White Kepi Ceremony (Remise de Kepi blanc) of the French Foreign Legion took place in Strasbourg, located in eastern France near the German border. Forty recruits from the 3rd Company of Enlisted Volunteers of the 4th Foreign Regiment (4e RE) officially became legionnaires.
10 Years Ago: 2016 Mountain Training Tragedy at Valfréjus
Ten years ago, in January 2016, a group of 52 cadres and legionnaires from the French Foreign Legion’s 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) arrived in the mountains near Valfréjus, a ski resort in the Savoie department in eastern France, for an initial mountain adaptation course. This is a routine training meant to prepare units for operations in harsh, high-altitude conditions. What began as a standard exercise, turned into the deadliest loss the regiment had faced since its creation.
Read more10 Years Ago: 2016 Mountain Training Tragedy at Valfréjus
French Foreign Legion in 2026
Created in 1831, the French Foreign Legion is an integral part of the French Land Army (Armée de Terre) and therefore a component of NATO forces. In 2026, it numbers around 9,000 officers, NCOs, and legionnaires from 156 nationalities and accounts for about 12% of France’s Land Operational Force (FOT).
55 Years Ago: The Creation of the Only Combined Engineer–Legion Battalion Ever to Serve in France
55 years ago, in early January 1971, a combined battalion was formed to bring together Foreign Legion pioneers and sappers of the French Army Engineer Corps. Its mission was to build the largest live-fire military training range in Western Europe. The battalion later built or modernized several other French military training areas, which are still regularly used today – not only by legionnaires.
Foreign Legion: 2025 Christmas Challenges
In mid-December 2025, a series of Challenges de Noël (Christmas Challenges) took place in regiments of the French Foreign Legion, both in France and abroad. These anual events are friendly competitions between companies of the same regiment. They are not about winning alone, but about building fighting spirit, teamwork, and unit cohesion. For hard-working legionnaires, the challenges also bring a moment of fun and relaxation. They are usually organized shortly before Christmas.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2026
Another year is coming to an end, and it went by incredibly fast. This is the thirteenth year in a row since 2012, when this online project started. So it is the right time for a new annual summary.
2e REP: First Serval armored vehicles
In Corsica in late November 2025, the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) received its first Serval light armored vehicles. The Legion paratroopers have started technical and tactical training to learn how to integrate this new equipment, which will replace the older VAB (Armored Vanguard Vehicle) that has been in service since the late 1970s.
1er REG, 2e REG: 2025 Saint Barbara Day
In early December 2025, the combat engineers of the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) and the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) of the French Foreign Legion once again commemorated their patron, Saint Barbara (Sainte Barbe in French).