Foreign Legion Command


The Foreign Legion Command is the Command of the Foreign Legion in the French Army.
The Legion is led by a French general, a Legion officer who is usually a general who spent his entire career in Legion units. COMLE also includes the general staff headquarters of the foreign legion command, led by another senior officer, chief of the general staff headquarters of the foreign legion command . As of 2017, the general staff headquarters of the foreign legion command includes several divisions related to the functioning of the Legion. The general staff headquarters of the foreign legion command has adopted various inspecting, grouping, and commanding designations since 1931 and has been designated officially as C.O.M.L.E since 1984. The Général de division commanding the Legion, also known as Father of the Legion or Foreign Legion Command Chief is a direct subordinate of the Chief of Staff of the French Army. The Division Général is also the technical counselor commanding for the ensemble related to the Legion.
The Divisional general commanding the Legion, commands also the 1st Foreign Regiment, the 4th Foreign Regiment and the Foreign Legion Recruiting Group. The GRLE was not formed till 2007. The commands of the C.O.M.L.E division general commandant extends to:
The Music of the Foreign Legion is led by the Music Chief.

History

The Legion is part of the History of France. it was created by a King, combat engaged at Camarón under an Emperor and has known to endure the most heavy losses under the Republic.

Pionniers & Legion Regiments

RegimentRegiment InsigniaLegion Regimental Command
1st Foreign Regiment,
Foreign Legion Tenure
Foreign Legion Regiment - 1er RE Colonel
Legion Pionniers Sections of Tradition
C.O.M.L.E Exclusive Command
4th Foreign Regiment,
Foreign Legion Tenure 		Foreign Legion Regiment - 4e RE Colonel
Legion Pionniers Groups
C.O.M.L.E Exclusive Command
Foreign Legion Recruiting Group,
Foreign Legion Tenure 		Foreign Legion Regiment - GRLE Colonel
C.O.M.L.E Command
1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment,
Foreign Legion Tenure 		Foreign Legion Regiment - 1er REC Colonel
Regiment part of the French 6th Light Armoured Brigade
1st Foreign Engineer Regiment
Foreign Legion Teunure
Foreign Legion Regiment - 1er REG Colonel
Legion Pionniers Groups
Airborne Combat Engineers
Regiment part of the 6th Light Armoured Brigade
2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment,
Foreign Legion Tenure
Foreign Legion Regiment - 2e REI Colonel
Regiment part of the French 6th Light Armoured Brigade
2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment,
Foreign Legion Tenure 		Foreign Legion Regiment - 2e REP Colonel
Commando Parachute Group
Regiment part of the French 11th Parachute Brigade
2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment,
Foreign Legion Tenure 		Foreign Legion Regiment - 2e REG Colonel
Legion Pionniers Groups
Airborne Combat Engineers
Regiment part of the French 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade
3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment,
Foreign Legion Tenure
former
Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion,
Foreign Legion Tenure -
Foreign Legion Regiment - 3e REI Colonel
Legion Pionniers Groups
Regiment part of territorial command of French Army
13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion,
Foreign Legion Tenure 		Foreign Legion Regiment - 13e DBLE Colonel
Regiment part of the French 6th Light Armoured Brigade
Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte,
Foreign Legion Teunure 		Foreign Legion Detachment - DLME Colonel
Legion Pionniers Groups
Detachment part of the territorial command of the French Army

Creation and different nominations (1931-1984)

The command of the Foreign Legion is stationed at quartier Vienot in Aubagne alongside the 1st Foreign Regiment. The headquarters detachment was established in 1984 following the reorganization of the previous Foreign Legion Group. Foreign Legion Command is headed by
a Général.
  • On March 2, 1931; the Inspection of the Foreign Legion was created.
  • Between 1934 and 1935, the I.L.E was dissolved.
  • In 1948, the I.L.E is recreated.
  • On September 1, 1950; the I.L.E was dissolved and the Autonomous Group of the Foreign Legion is created.
  • On July 1, 1955; the Foreign Legion Command was created.
  • On September 16, 1957; the C.O.L.E. became the Technical Inspection of the Foreign Legion .
  • On July 1, 1964; the I.T.L.E. was dissolved.
  • On September 1, 1972, creation of the Foreign Legion Groupment which included the Operational Group of the Foreign Legion .
  • On July 1, 1984, the G.L.E became the Foreign Legion Command .

    History of the garrisons, campaigns and battles

During the interwar period on April 1, 1931, while the Legion reached requirements of 30,000 Legionnaires, général Paul-Frédéric Rollet, was entrusted with the post of Inspector of the Foreign Legion newly created in Tlemcen in Algeria. It is at this moment that the Communal Depot of the Foreign Regiments was created. This Inspector of the Foreign Legion was dissolved with the retirement of the Father of the Legion.
In 1948, the Inspection was recreated for 2 years under the command of Général de division Raoul Magrin-Vernerey. Again dissolved in 1950, the inspection unit left way for the Autonomous Group of the Foreign Legion commanded consecutively by Générals Jean Olié and Paul Gardy which had the attributions of Inspector General. The G.A.L.E. was made up of a headquarter staff at Sidi bel-Abbès, the Communal Depot of the Legion, the 1st Foreign Infantry Regiment which included all training/ instruction units, the intelligence service, and the Moral Service for Works of the Foreign Legion.
In 1954, at the end of the First Indochina War, the Foreign Legion was reorganized. The 1st Foreign Regiment inherited all the attributions of Legion units. The Foreign Legion Command was created on July 1, 1955 at Vincennes; with command ensured by Colonel René Lennuyeux. Two years later on September 16, 1957, the foreign legion command inherited the new naming of Technical Inspection of the Foreign Legion. This technical inspection was dissolved in 1964 and its attributions were transferred to the regimental commander of the 1st Foreign Regiment.
In 1972, after efforts by Colonel Marcel Letestu, a Foreign Legion Groupment was created which was put at his disposition. Accordingly, Colonel Letestu has immediate authority on the 1st Foreign Regiment and the 2nd Foreign Regiment and conserved this prerogative of General Inspector. On the other hand, the commander of the commanded also the 31st Brigade. This experimental unit, Legion dominated was among the first combined arms brigades. The 31st Brigade engaged in peacekeeping combat operations in Lebanon as part of the Multinational Force in Lebanon under the command of Foreign Legion Groupment Général de brigade Jean-Claude Coullon. The 31st Brigade was subsequently replaced by the 6th Light Armoured Division in 1984 and then became designated as the 6th Light Armoured Brigade following the Gulf War as part of Division Daguet.
On July 1, 1984 the G.L.E. inherited the denomination of Foreign Legion Command .

Organization

In the mission, the division general commanding the Foreign Legion is assisted by a general staff headquarters which service operations are based on the personnel of the 1st Foreign Regiment 1er R.E and the Foreign Legion Recruiting Group. This general staff compromised as of the 2012 of the following Divisions and bureaux:
  • Foreign Legion Human Resources Division : Division ensured the management of the ensemble administration of personnel serving at Foreign Status.
  • Foreign Legion Recruiting Group, : responsible entity for Legion centers of information, Legion recruiting centers, as well as the Legion center of selection and incorporation.
  • Foreign Legion Information Systems and Communication Division, : Division developed proper applications, administered networks and consulting in material of formation for the Foreign Legion. The division also supported the Foreign Legion Service Handling of Information.
  • Foreign Legion Statistical and Personnel Protection Division : Division handled in material of protection and security, the ensemble of personnel serving at Foreign Status. This division participated at the selection process of candidates at engagement.
  • Foreign Legion Communication and Information Division, : Division in charge of institutional communication. This division ran public relations, the media, issue numbers production of Képi Blanc, the monthly of the legion, the administration of information technologies, as well audio cells.
  • Foreign Legion History and Patrimony Division, : Division handled the conservation preservation and management of the foreign legion, and most notably the management of Foreign Legion Museum.
  • Foreign Legion Social Work and Aid Bureau,.
As of 2017, the general staff headquarters of the Foreign Legion Command, at the disposition of the Commandant of the Legion, has undergone further organizational structuring and was articulated in various legion divisions revolving around: studies, pilotage and synthesis; human resources; security and protection; patrimony; solidarity and others.