2e REP: 2nd Company in Estonia in 2024 | French Foreign Legion Information

See some nice images of the 2nd Company, 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) from Estonia, Northern Europe, where the legionnaires-paratroopers carried out tasks as part of France’s Mission Lynx.

In the aftermath of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, NATO adopted a series of measures designed to both reassure those allies who border Russia – like Estonia – and to deter any potential Russian military aggression against NATO allies. In 2016 NATO agreed to establish an “enhanced Forward Presence” (eFP) in Poland and the three Baltic states, in the form of a multinational battlegroup in each country; they were set up in 2017. The United Kingdom leads the battlegroup in Estonia, which now comprises over 1,000 personnel from the U.K., France, and Denmark, with support from Iceland. The U.K. units are rotating every six months, while French units rotate every four months.

The 2e REP legionnaires arrived in Estonia in March 2024 and served there until June. Therefore, they have spent three months only there, under the title of Light Infantry Company (CIL). They had to train and adapt to the terrain in Estonia and learn how to operate on NATO’s Eastern flank. They were also contributing to the training of Estonian volunteers and enabling the sharing of experience between allied troops.

In May, the legionnaires took part in the major exercise SPRING STORM 24, during which they were deployed alongside the Estonians on the island of Hiiumaa, in the west of the country. Finally, the legionnaires ended their tour of duty with an anti-tank medium-range missile (MMP) firing in the trenches in the Tapa training area.

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