French Foreign Legion

The drop zone was missed by more than a fraction on this training jump by the French Foreign Legion. The urban terrain led to some uneasy landings for many of the members of 2e Rep.

Military cultures are more than just uniforms and salutes. They’re a complex reflection of a nation’s values and approach to defense.

Initially set up to fight Spain’s wars in Northern Africa the Bridegrooms of Death are now one of Europe’s most iconic units.

Two French Legionnaires have died from wounds sustained while fighting Islamic extremists in Mali. Brigadier Dymyto Martynyouk was part of a mounted patrol when his armored vehicle struck an improvised explosive device on April 23. His wounds were severe enough and couldn’t be treated in-theater. He was evacuated to France where he, unfortunately, died in […]

Estonian commandos are the latest to join a French-led Special Operations task force that will deploy in Africa in the upcoming summer to fight Islamic extremists. The deployment of the Estonian commandos was first reported by the Defense Post back in 2019. Then, an Estonian Defense Ministry spokesperson had stated that the country’s contribution to […]

On Friday, the French announced that they killed more than 30 jihadists in three separate operations over the previous two days in the Sahel. These operations come in the wake of three raids on terrorist camps earlier this year.  These operations took place in the Liptako-Gourma zone in the Sahel region where the borders of […]

The French military seems to be inadvertently feeding terrorist organizations with combat-hardened and well-trained recruits. According to a soon-to-be-released study conducted by the French think-tank Centre d’analyse du terrorisme (CAT), dozens of former French servicemen have joined the ranks of terrorist groups. Most of these Jihadists served in Special Operations or elite units, one of […]

July 21, 2019 – U.S. Army Spc. Kristofer Encinas, a sniper, and Alex Stoyonovich, a sniper team spotter, with 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, engage a target prior to clearing a building during the European Best Sniper Team Competition at the Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany. The European Best Sniper Team Competition is a U.S. […]

A sniper team from the French Foreign Legion’s 13th Demi-Brigade (13e DBLE) won the 2019 European Best Sniper Team Competition. This year’s version of the annual competition was hosted by Germany and Latvia at the camp of the 7th Army Training Command in Grafenwoehr, Bavaria. In total, sniper teams from 16 NATO allies and partners […]

A French army raid in Mali eliminated numerous terrorists including Amadou Koufa, a top Jihadist leader. Although the French military didn’t state it, such a precision raid would have to involve special operations forces. The French army announced that more than 30 terrorists were put out of action as a result of the operation, which […]

Madrid, Spain—Elite Spanish troops are being put on a diet. Soldiers serving with the Spanish Legion, an elite outfit and the Spanish equivalent to the French Foreign Legion, were found to be overweight and undeployable. In a recent medical and fitness evaluation, the Spanish Army found 180 legionnaires with a Body Mass Index (BMI) score […]

The US’s Camp Lemonnier, a special-operations outpost in the sweltering East African country of Djibouti, will soon have a new neighbor. China will open a new naval base — what it has called “logistical support” facilities — nearby, bringing the US into closer proximity with a rival power than some officers have ever experienced. “You […]