Foreign Legion Recruiting Group

Foreign Legion Recruiting Group
GRLE Unit Badge
Active	July 10, 2007- Present
Country	France
Allegiance	French Foreign Legion
Branch	French Army
Type	Regimental Military Unit
Role	Global Military Recruiting and Support Operations
Part of	Foreign Legion Command
Headquarters	Fort de Nogent, Fontenay-sous-Bois, Paris, France
Motto(s)	Honneur et Fidélité
Colors	Green and Red
March	Conquérir des volontaires, pour en faire des légionnaires (Conquering Volunteers to Form Legionnaires)
Engagements	Global War on Terror (2001-present)
Battle honours	Camerone 1863
Commanders
Current commander	Lieutenant-colonel François-Xavier PETITEAU
Insignia
Insignia of the Foreign Legion Recruiting Group
Abbreviation	GRLE

Each year, the French Foreign Legion commemorates and celebrates Camarón in its headquarters in Aubagne and Bastille Day military parade in Paris; featuring the Pionniers leading and opening the way.

The Foreign Legion Recruiting Group (French: Groupement de recrutement de la Légion étrangère, GRLE) is an administrative combating unit of the French Foreign Legion responsible for recruiting volunteers from around the globe to the Legion and manned by members of the legion.^[1] The unit reports to the authority of the Foreign Legion Command who determines the annual objectives based on the open rules consented by the army staff (l'Etat-Major de l'Armée de Terre (E.M.A.T)) and the initial prevision of the Foreign Legion Human Resources Division (D.R.H.L.E)^[2]

History

The GRLE was created July 10, 2007 at Fort de Nogent, near Paris.^[3] The new unit assumed all recruiting responsibilities which had previously been assigned to the 1st Foreign Regiment's Recruitment Division.^[4]

Mission

In order to supply the Foreign Legion with the required foreign volunteers, the Foreign Legion Recruiting Group (G.R.L.E) has a mission to promote volunteer service by targeting the world public. The purpose of promotion is to inform potential candidates and lead a preselection process followed by a contract of engagement at Aubagne.^[5]

While the mission of the Foreign Legion Recruiting Group is primarily focused on recruiting; the G.R.L.E operates in customs just like any legion operational regiment with numerous functions including training and supporting general missions of the legion both in France as well as in exterior combat operations around the globe.^[6]

Organization

The Command of the G.R.L.E is garrisoned at Fort de Nogent, at Fontenay-sous-bois.^[7] Commanded by a regimental commander, the G.R.L.E is composed of two elementary part component units, which are the Transit Company of the Foreign Legion (C.T.L.E) and the Recruiting Company of the Foreign Legion (C.R.L.E), with principal mission of:^[8]

• The support of the Foreign Legion on the R.T.I.D.F (Land Region Ile de France).
• The quest of engaging volunteers to serve in the Foreign Legion.

Transit Company of the Foreign Legion (C.T.L.E)

The C.T.L.E, the Transit Company of the Foreign Legion, reassumed part responsibility for the missions of the C.T.L.E of the 1st Foreign Regiment dissolved on July 10 and is responsible for:^[9]

• Prospective candidate search.
• Recruitment of volunteers.
• Representation of the Foreign Legion on the ensemble territory with 10 information posts (P.I.L.E).^[10]
• The transit of Foreign Legion personnel and families between metropole and outre-mer (overseas) or Parisian regions.

Foreign Legion Information Posts (P.I.L.E)

The mission of the Foreign Legion Information Posts (P.I.L.E)^[11] implanted in Paris (3 posts), Lille, Nantes, Paris - Fort Neuf de Vincennes, Paris, Paris, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseilles, Nice, Perpignan, Toulouse, consist of maintaining a quality recruitment that minimizes the circle of francophones while simultaneously maintaining diversity by the multiple presence of various origins.^[12]

The (P.I.L.E),^[13] unlike the typical recruiting posts of the Regular Army, utilizes civilian services and military resources to launch activities that would attract potential candidates through ( expositions, mobile information trucks and other mobile information posts).^[14] The Foreign Legion only recruits in France. The Foreign Legion will not intervene to obtain permanent visas to join France nor finance the voyage to France.^[15]

Recruiting Company of the Foreign Legion (C.R.L.E)

The C.R.L.E, The Recruiting Company of the Foreign Legion, is resposanble for:^[16]

• The escort of hospitalized and isolated legionnaires in region of Ile de France.
• The evaluation of potential candidates at engagement in the 2 centers of preslection at Fort de Nogent and Aubagne.
• The conditioning placing of potential candidates at engagement towards the center of selection and incorporation.

Center of Selection Incorporation

The C.S.I, the Center of Selection Incoporation is an integral part of the C.R.L.E and is implanted in Quartier (garrison) Vienot at Aubagne. The Center Selection is responsible for:^[17]

• The coordination and direction of the selection candidate process.
• The management of potential candidates course towards medical screenings.
• The enlisting of candidates during the selection process.
• The return of candidates not selected to civilian life.

Traditions

The Courtyard of Honor, Court d'Honneur.

Insignia

• 

  Regimental Insignia of the Foreign Legion Recruiting Group, G.R.L.E

• 

  Insignia of the Foreign Legion Recruiting Group, G.R.L.E

Fanion Colors

At origin, Fanions served marking the assemblies of armies, a point of rally to and alignment manoeuver of military units.^[18] The notion of fanion-emblem surfaced in the campaigns of Africa and were generalized following World War I.^[19] The reglementation in concern for use were not established until 1976.^[20] Only the fanions of unit forming regimental corps, such as the Foreign Legion Recruiting Group (G.R.L.E) has right to honorary ceremonies.^[21]

For the G.R.L.E, the Division General of the Foreign Legion has authorized that the guard of the G.R.L.E Fanion be constituted of, as per reglementation, 1 Sous-officiers (fanion bearer), and 2 Legionnaires, all three armed with MAS- 49-56.^[22]

Regimental Song

Conquérir des volontaires (Conquering Volunteers to Form Legionnaires) is the Regimental song and mission of the Foreign Legion Recruiting Group:^[23]

Honors

Battle Honors

• Camerone 1863

Regimental Commander

• 2008 - 2010 : Lieutenant-coloneL Norbert Simonet
• 2010 - 2012 : Lieutenant-colonel Stéphane Bourban
• 2012 - 2014 : Lieutenant-colonel Thierry Morvan
• 2014 - 20** : Lieutenant-colonel François-Xavier Petiteau

See also

• 1st Foreign Regiment
• 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment
• 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment
• 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment
• 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment
• 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment
• 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment
• 4th Foreign Regiment
• 13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion
• Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte

Notes

References

Official website - GRLE

Foreign Legion Command French Foreign Legion
Honneur et Fidélité History of the French Foreign Legion Foreign Legion Pioneers (Pionniers) List of French paratrooper units Képi Blanc (publication)
Current Foreign Legion Units	Administrative Communal Depot of the Foreign Regiments 1st Foreign Regiment Foreign Legion Command Foreign Legion Recruiting Group Infantry & Parachute Infantry 2nd Foreign Infantry Regiment 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment 13th Foreign Legion Demi-Brigade Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte Cavalry 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment Engineer & Parachute Engineer 6th Foreign Engineer Regiment 1st Foreign Engineer Regiment 2nd Foreign Engineer Regiment Training 4th Foreign Regiment Jungle Training Center Combat Training Center at Arta Beach
Defunct Foreign Legion Units	Administrative and Training Communal Depot of the Foreign Regiments Parachute Parachute Company of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment 1st Foreign Parachute Battalion 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion 3rd Foreign Parachute Battalion Foreign Air Supply Company 3rd Foreign Parachute Regiment 1st Foreign Parachute Heavy Mortar Company Infantry 1st Foreign Infantry Regiment 1st Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment 2nd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment 3rd Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment 4th Marching Regiment of the 1st Foreign Regiment/Garibaldi Legion 1st Marching Regiment of the 2nd Foreign Regiment 2nd Marching Regiment of the 2nd Foreign Regiment Marching Regiment of the Foreign Legion 5th Foreign Infantry Regiment 6th Foreign Infantry Regiment 11th Foreign Infantry Regiment 12th Foreign Infantry Regiment 21st Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers 22nd Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers 23rd Marching Regiment of Foreign Volunteers Cavalry 2nd Foreign Cavalry Regiment 97th Reconnaissance Group of the Infantry Division Transport Armored Train of the Foreign Legion Disciplinary Disciplinary Company of the Foreign Regiments in the Far East Foreign Legion Brigades 31st Brigade (France)