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.

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2e REG: 2025 Summer High Mountain Team Leader Course

In August 2025, approximately a dozen legionnaires from the Foreign Legion’s 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG) undertook the Summer High Mountain Team Leader Course in the French Alps, southeastern France. From the cliffs of Mont Aiguille in the Vercors Massif to the iconic ridgelines of La Meije in the Écrins range, the legionnaires were trained to take responsibility for their rope teams and to progress safely through complex alpine terrain.

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Foreign Legion: 2025 Change of Command took place in six regiments

During the summer of 2025, several regiments within the French Foreign Legion underwent significant leadership changes, reflecting the regular rotation of senior officers across this elite force. These appointments are part of the French Army’s standard two-year command rotation cycle and affect both mainland and overseas units.

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Foreign Legion: 2025 Bastille Day

On July 14, 2025, units of the French Foreign Legion took part in regional ceremonies across France to mark the country’s national holiday, Bastille Day. Each regiment participated in local commemorative events held in the vicinity of their respective garrisons, in coordination with civil and military authorities. In some cases, Legion elements were also present at celebrations held outside their usual locations.

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Foreign Legion: 2025 Victory in Europe Day

On May 8, 2025, Foreign Legion units took part in the celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. Honor guards from various regiments participated in ceremonies held primarily in their garrison towns, with several detachments also representing the Legion in other cities across their regions. Below are images from this year’s commemorations.

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Foreign Legion: 2025 Camerone Day

April 30, 2025, marked the 162nd anniversary of the Battle of Camerone, the defining event in the French Foreign Legion’s history, when 62 legionnaires under the command of Captain Jean Danjou faced a force of 2,000 Mexican troops. Refusing to surrender, they fought to the very end, with only three able-bodied legionnaires left standing. Commemorations of this anniversary were held across all Legion units and garrisons, both in France and abroad. The following post includes images from several of these ceremonies.

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2e REG: Heads of the French and Norwegian Armed Forces with Legionnaires in the Alps

At the end of March 2025, in the heart of the Alps, General Thierry Burkhard, Chief of the French Armed Forces, and General Eirik Kristoffersen, his Norwegian counterpart, held a detailed exchange on the expertise of mountain troops alongside the legionnaires of the Foreign Legion’s 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (2e REG), which specializes in mountain warfare and engineering support.

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