1er REG: 2023 Training in Estonia | French Foreign Legion Information

In July 2023, new French rotations arrived in Estonia in Northeastern Europe to replace the previous French contingent, which made part of NATO’s “enhanced Forward Presence” (eFP), a multinational battlegroup led by the British. Legionnaires from the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG) are part of the new contingent.

The previous contingent was composed of legionnaires from three regiments, including a platoon of the 1er REG. This regiment deployed another platoon to reinforce even the new French contingent, led by the 21st Marine Infantry Regiment (21e RIMa). Their mission is to support NATO allies who border Russia – like Estonia – and to deter any potential Russian military aggression against them. The eFP battlegroup elements also have to train and adapt to the terrain in Estonia, as well as learn how to operate on NATO’s Eastern flank within a multinational combined arms formation.

Among the activities of the battlegroup are joint competitions between different units. Such as the pontoon bridge building competition between 1er REG and British combat engineers.

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