What does the French Foreign Legion actually do in 2017? Like,

Well, the Legion historically was France's go to expeditionary unit, and I would say they continue on that tradition today. If France's interests are threatened, the Legion will more than likely be one of the first units to be deployed and respond. In 2017, their role is similar to any other rapid reaction/expeditionary unit out there. Currently they are seeing in the many small scale African conflicts France has involved itself in

>Like, what makes France decide to deploy the legion to a particular conflict as opposed to another unit?

Nothing.

The idea that they're deployed separate to any other unit in the French military is a complete myth that seems to persist around this place.

>>34548792
>Like, what makes France decide to deploy the legion to a particular conflict as opposed to another unit?
Nothing. They get rotated along with any other unit part of the same rotation, according to which brigade is on alert.
>>34549048 is right.


>>34549022 is a dumbass.

>>34548792
>legion usually gets shit / old gear

Are they getting 416s also or do they get those neat FAMAs with the remote control buttons?

>>34549048

This. I can't think of any conflict/operation where the Légion was deployed on its own, at least in recent decades.

>>34549022

Well, the Légion is more likely to be deployed early on than "plain" infantry or armored units but the "first responders" are usually drawn from the Troupes Aéroportées (Airborne) or eventually Troupes de Marine (the current name of what used to be Troupes Coloniales, I guess I don't need to translate).

Just fyi the bulk of the Airborne Brigade consists of 5 regiments, two of them from the Troupes de Marine (3e and 8e RPIMa) and one from the Légion (2e REP).

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>>34551701
Here is the calendar for the hk 416 deployment according to units.
13e DBLE and 2e REP are getting theirs this year, 3eme REI receives an initial bunch of them for training the instructors prior to full deployment, as well as 4eme RE for training purposes (it's the legion's training unit).
>This. I can't think of any conflict/operation where the Légion was deployed on its own, at least in recent decades.
And it can't happen because units are deploying according to the brigades they are in, and all the brigades are mixed. As well as the fact that the beyong 2 combat engineers regiments, the legion has no support unit.

>Well, the Légion is more likely to be deployed early on than "plain" infantry or armored units
>I have no idea how it works but I must post: the post.
Absolutely not, it depends upon which unit is currently on Guépard alert.

>>34551774
Just take a look at what combat units were deployed first (after SF obviously) during major operations

Enduring Freedom 2001 : 21e RIMa (Marine Infantry)
Serval january 2013 : 21e RIMa
Sangaris december 2013 : 3e and 8e RPIMa, 21e RIMa, 6e BIMa (again Marine Infantry), 1er RHP (Airborne), 1er REC (Légion)

The bulk of Opération Trident (Kosovo 1999) was also made of RIMa/RPIMa and Légion units (8e RPIMA then 21e RIMa, 6e REG,1er REC). With a single squadron from the 1er Régiment de Spahis (cavalry, part of the 6th Light Armoured Division back then).

Am I the only noticing some strange kind of pattern ?

>>34548792
You can read the wikipedia page on Operation Serval, it's the latest relatively big scale OPEX of the FA. As you can see the initial engagement drawn on mostly regular units. Interestingly since 2013 the only remaining units left behind to assist Mali forces are Foreign Legion units.
>At the end of May 2013, the French Army began to draw down its forces in Mali. For further combat operations, a mixed combat group named GTIA Désert (Groupement tactique interarmes Désert) was activated in Gao, on May 20th 2013. Only this combat group will remain in the area(...)

Headquarters and Command of the 2e Régiment Étranger d'Infanterie (2e REI)
1er Régiment Étranger de Cavalerie (1er REC), one troop with AMX 10 RC
1er Régiment de Tirailleurs (1er RTIR), one company with VBCI
2e Régiment Étranger d'Infanterie (2e REI), one company with VAB
3e Régiment d'Artillerie de Marine (3e RAMa), a mixed unit armed with CAESAR self-propelled 155mm howitzers and 120mm mortars deployed
1er Régiment Étranger de Génie (1er REG), one sapper company, one EOD squad

last I heard of them they dropped in Mali during that thing that happened there in 2013 I think

>>34551943

Yep, they were air dropped on Timbuktu in january 2013.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ElySEd8MOw

>>34548792
>I will never be a Czech criminal charging angry Berbers on a camel for France's glory.
Life is shit.

>>34551921
Not only are you forgetting a bunch of units, you're also counting OPEX from when there were still conscripts and the only fully professional units were indeed Legion and TDM. Now it's severely outdated.

Check the units calendar on INTRADEF if you don't trust me. Oh wait you don't have access.

>>34551774
>As well as the fact that the beyong 2 combat engineers regiments, the legion has no support unit.
So they have a support unit or not?
Anyway, from what I've seen they do their shit themselves in their barracks.

>>34548792
>What does the French Foreign Legion actually do in 2017?
Keep smacking Eritrea for constantly poking their Djibouti.

>>34552131
Legion is no longer in djibouti

>>34552702
Huh, didn't know they handed over that last outpost to French Army. My bad.

>>34548792
die

We should force all fugees to enlist in the FFL, then send them back fight for their fucking shithole.

>>34552064
kek

>>34553705
No, fucking idiot.

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They train in off shore colonies and fuck around in Africa still and if you're lucky you get to fight ISIS.

>>34548792
the FFL gets deployed to more sensitive missions that the french populace would not necessarily approve of the french government or french military being involved in because of the danger of casualties. it's been this way for decades. the average french citizen is less likely to oppose a ragtag group of foreigners going in and getting killed.

>>34554466
Why not? It's a win/win, we get rid of them and their country is safe.

>>34548792
>Like, what makes France decide to deploy the legion to a particular conflict as opposed to another unit?
Soldiers get killed but there is no grieving widow for the media to show.

>>34553705

But what happens if they just go back to France with their new discipline and fighting skills and refugee camaraderie ?