1er REG: Exercise Terra Nostra 2026 | French Foreign Legion Information

From March 16 to 25, 2026, the 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment (1er REG), a combat engineer unit of the French Foreign Legion garrisoned at Laudun-L’Ardoise in southern France, conducted Exercise Terra Nostra 2026.

Led by Colonel Dorigny, the regiment’s commanding officer, the exercise Terra Nostra 26 involved more than 400 legionnaires, French support elements, as well as combat engineers from Spain and Greece. They deployed across open terrain in the Gard department, operating in an area stretching roughly between the towns of Bagnols-sur-Cèze and Tavel, with the Rhône River serving as a key operational feature.

The exercise was designed around a high-intensity combat scenario drawing on recent conflicts. The simulated adversary was equipped with drones, armored vehicles, night-vision devices, and advanced reconnaissance capabilities. A central element of the scenario was the assumption that bridges over the Rhône had been destroyed, requiring engineer units to establish river crossings using their own bridging and amphibious assets.

Throughout the exercise, the 1er REG practiced a broad range of engineer tasks, including obstacle emplacement, area denial using anti-mobility barriers such as “dragon’s teeth,” mine warfare, combat diving, and river-crossing operations. The regiment also tested a number of innovations, including tethered surveillance drones, unmanned aerial systems adapted for engineer missions, electric motorcycles, lightweight tactical vehicles, and artificial intelligence tools developed in cooperation with a French startup for rapid terrain analysis.

Terra Nostra 26 concluded on March 25 with public demonstrations held across several towns near the garrison, where residents were invited to view military equipment and speak with legionnaires.

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