History

A combat regiment, the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment (3e REI) is organized around four companies with different structures: a command and support company (which includes the SAED and the equatorial forest training center), two combat companies, and a support company. In addition, the regiment has a reserve company. Permanently in an operational posture as part of the HARPIE missions (fight against illegal gold mining) and TITAN (protection of the CSG), the regiment can be deployed across the South American subcontinent. This was the case recently, in September 2017, to assist victims of Hurricane Irma in Saint‑Martin. Composed of both legionnaires and regular army units, it specializes in combat in the equatorial forest. Its main mission is to ensure the surveillance of the CSG (Guiana Space Center) during rocket launches. It is then deployed all around the center to protect the site.

Mission

Today, drawing on more than fifty years of experience in the equatorial environment and on 35 years of CEFE’s existence (35,000 trainees trained), the 3e REI is the expert regiment in jungle techniques and operations.

• External protection of the Guiana Space Center, which conducts Ariane rocket launches (Titan mission);
• Guaranteeing France’s sovereignty in French Guiana: Surveillance of the Brazilian border;
• Presence missions in difficult areas, particularly in the equatorial forest;
• Combating illegal immigration and illegal gold mining;
• Intervention missions in the Antilles–Guiana area or on the continent.