2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment

The 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (French: 2^e Régiment Etranger de Génie, 2^e REG) is one of two combat engineer regiments of the Foreign Legion in the French Army.^[2] Stationed, since its creation in 1999, on the former site of the French Strategic Nuclear Missiles at Saint Christol, Vaucluse, southern France.^[3][4] The regiment provides the combat engineering component of the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade.^[5]

2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment
2e Régiment étranger de génie
Regimental badge of 2e REG
Active	1 Jul. 1999 – present
Country	France
Branch	French Army
Type	Engineer
Role	Combat Engineer Mountain warfare
Size	~925 men
Part of	27th Mountain Infantry Brigade 1st Division
Garrison/HQ	Saint Christol, France
Motto(s)	Rien n'empêche (Nothing Prevents)
Colors	Green & Red
March	Rien n'empêche
Anniversaries	Camerone Day (30 April) Saint Barbara (4 December)
Engagements	Opération Baliste Global War on Terrorism (2001–present) War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan-ISAF (Task Force LaFayette)
Battle honours	Camerone 1863[1]
Commanders
Current commander	Colonel Emmanuel Combe
Insignia
Beret insignia of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment
Abbreviation	2e REG

History

The regiment was created in 1999 and is an heir to one of the 18 combat engineer formations of the Foreign Legion in Indochina.^[6] The regiment participated to the conservation of the indochinese patrimony of the 5th Foreign Infantry Regiment 5^e REI, "The Tonkin Regiment". The regiment is a unit component of the military engineers (French: génie militaire) of the French Army.^[7]

The regiment like all Legion regiments is composed of foreign legionnaires.^[8] The younger legionnaires are issued from the 4th Foreign Regiment 4^e RE while the older legionnaires are selected from other legion regiments.^[6]

Since creation, the regiment is stationed in garrison Maréchal Koenig, based on plateau Albion, on the commune of Saint-Christol, Vaucluse, which housed previously the 1st Strategic Missiles Groupment (French: 1^er Groupement de Missiles Stratégiques) (1^er GMS) of the Strategic Air Forces, on Aerial Base 200 Apt-Saint-Christol.^[8][7]

The missions of the regiment at the corps of the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade (27^e BIM) are intelligence gathering, direct combat, mobile support (demining, clearing paths, etc.) to any counter mobilities and the deployment amongst combat units.^[9] The particularity of the mountain brigade imposes adaptation to techniques that are demanding and specific in either relieving infantry units or replacing their combat role in operations of area control.^[6]

The regiment has been present on most exterior theatres of operations since creation.^[8] Projecting each year a number of legionnaires in various fields of operations, the regiment was engaged in Djibouti at the corps of the 13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion and in Afghanistan, Ivory Coast, French Guiana; similarly, at the corps of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment, in the Balkans, in Martinique and metropole France during interior operations.^[8]

Campaigns ( 1999–present)

Engineer Combat Missions

Since creation in 1999, the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment (French: 2^e Régiment Etranger de Génie, 2^e REG) has been present in the following theatres of exterior operations:

• Djibouti with the 13^e DBLE
• Afghanistan
• Ivory Coast
• French Guiana at the corps of the 3^e REI
• Balkans, Kosovo
• Martinique
• Lebanon in Opération Baliste launched by French President Jacques Chirac, during the month of July 2006. Following the Israeli bombardments of the bridges in Southern Lebanon, the world needed a combat engineer regiment to intervene quickly and efficiently in the reconstruction of bridges based on the old Bailey bridge system whose concept dates back to World War II. This intervention while very little publicized due to the estival period, allowed to consolidate the operational character in material of intervention of the military capability of combat engineers (French: génie de combat) in the Legion and more particularly at the 2^e REG.
• The regiment intervenese regularly in internal security operations: SATER Plan (French: Plan SATER), "SATER", (French: Sauvetage Aéro-Terrestre, SATER), (aero-terrestrial specialized French rescue put into motion at the departmental level with objectif of terrestrial search and precise localization of airborne capable civilian or military in distress) supported by elements of the French Air Force. Elements of SATER Plan was used to support protective operations around all the depots before the use of the euro, in 2001.
• The regiment intervenes regularly in internal security operations: Vigipirate, a mission shared and contributed by all other regiments.

Humanitarian Missions

• The regiment also served in metropole France, while barely being created, within operations of the Orsec Disposition (French: Dispositif Orsec), "ORSEC" (French: Organisation de la Réponse de SÉcurité Civile),(ORSEC - Response Organization for Civil Security; the response rescue organization responsible to manage natural disasters and catastrophes beyond level of normal emergencies), at the end of 1999, following the storming thundering path of Cyclone Lothar and Martin which caused the devastation and destruction of a part of Europe.

Organization

The regiment is composed of around 900 to 925 men organized into 6 companies.^[10]

• Compagnie de Commandement et de Logistique (CCL) - Command and Logistics Company
• Legion Pionniers Groups
• Compagnie d'Administration et de Soutien (CAS) - Administrative and Services Company
• 1^re Compagnie de Combat - 1st Combat Company (3 combat sections, a support section and a command section)
• 2^e Compagnie de Combat - 2nd Combat Company (3 combat sections, a support section and a command section)
• 3^e Compagnie de Combat - 3rd Combat Company (3 combat sections, a support section and a command section)
• Compagnie d'Appui (CA) - Support Company (5 specialist sections)
• PCG Teams (Combat Engineer Divers, French: Plongeurs du Combat du Génie) former DINOPS Teams of Nautical Subaquatic Intervention Operational Detachment ( French: Détachement d'Intervention Nautique Operationnelle Subaquatique ) specialized in Parachute, Underwater demolition, Diving and Mountain Commando Group ( GCM ) in some cases as double specialties.^[11]

Traditions

Insignias

• 
  Insignia of the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade, 27^e BIM
• 
  Beret insignia of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment, 2^e REG
• 
  Regimental insignia of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment, 2e REG

Regimental Colors

Regimental Colors of the 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment

Regimental Song

Chant de Marche: Rien n'empêche featuring:^[12]

De la boue des rizières aux plateaux du Tonkin
Honneur, Fidélité pour unique refrain
Le feu, l'eau et la terre comme seul univers
Il s'avance et combat, le sapeur légionnaire,
Brisant tous les assauts quand la mitraille explose
Sur cette terre d'Indo où tant d'anciens reposent.

Dans le froid, la tourmente, à la mort à la vie
Rien n'empêche le deuxième étranger de génie. (bis)


Aujourd'hui la mémoire sonne le rappel.
Nous, légionnaires du 2 répondons à l'appel.
Ouvrir, tracer la route c'est pour le régiment
Passer coûte que coûte, voilà notre serment
Foi, vaillance et courage comme seul héritage
Nul obstacle et nul homme pour nous faire barrage.

Refrain

Sur les cimes de l'Alpe quand le combat résonne
Du fracas de la foudre et que l'orage tonne
En avant képis blancs, à nous les grands espaces.
En tout lieu en tout temps, il nous faut faire face.
Relever les défis, voilà notre ambition.
Ne jamais faire défaut, c'est notre tradition.

Refrain

Decorations

• croix de la Valeur militaire with one palm since January 3, 2012.^[13]
• Another citation for the croix de valeur militaire was attributed on June 20, 2013, the regiment since that date wears the fourragère with colors of the croix de la Valeur Militaire.^[14]

• 
  Croix de la Valeur militaire

Honors

Battle honours

• Camerone 1863^[15]

Regimental Commanders

Main articles: Foreign Legion Command and Honneur et Fidélité

• 1999–2001 : colonel Nebois
• 2001–2003 : colonel Autran
• 2003–2005 : colonel Fradin
• 2005–2007 : colonel Boucher
• 2007–2009 : colonel Chavanat
• 2009–2011 : colonel Kirscher
• 2011–2013 : colonel Bonini
• 2013–2015 : colonel Reussner
• 2015–2017 : lieutenant-colonel De Sercey
• 2017–2021 : colonel De Boisfleury
• 2021 - 20**  : colonel Emmanuel Combe

See also

• French Army
• 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade (France)
• Major (France)
• Music of the Foreign Legion (MLE)
• 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment
• 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment
• List of French Foreign Legion units