In 1999, as part of the restructuring of the French Army, the 11th Parachute Brigade was formed at
Balma (Balman Toulouse Garrison), the base of the 11th Parachute Division. The brigade would later be engaged in Africa and Afghanistan.
Africa The 11th Parachute Brigade, mainly the
2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP), took part in
Opération Licorne in the Ivory Coast.
Afghanistan of the
1 Régiment de Hussards Parachutistes in 2006 in Afghanistan. From 2006 to 2007, the parachute brigade intervened in
Afghanistan as part of the
French Detachment of NATO's International Force. In September 2007, the brigade was relieved by
Chasseurs Alpins of the
27th Mountain Infantry Brigade (27e BIM). On 18 August 2008, a unit of the
8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (8e RPIMa) lost eight men during the . The paratroopers of the
1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment (1er RCP), of the 11th Parachute Brigade, took up its first rotation, and was in place by Sunday, 1 May 2011, in
Kapisa Province. Four more rotations would follow. A total of 650 military personnel were scheduled for a mission to maintain zonal security. On 10 May 2011, two combat parachute companies of the 1e RCP—almost 200 men commanded by
général Emmanuel Maurin, commander of the 11th Parachute Brigade—were projected east towards
Nijrab District, on a mission lasting several months. As a result, 1000
paratroopers were engaged in Afghanistan, principally from the 1e RCP, which were supported by the 11th Parachute Brigade, the
1st Parachute Hussar Regiment, the
17th Parachute Engineer Regiment,
35th Parachute Artillery Regiment, and the
1st Train Parachute Regiment. From April to October 2001, while preparing for this mission, the 11th brigade rehearsed realistic simulations, in order to achieve operational readiness within the newly established
Brigade La Fayette joint command. In Afghanistan, reinforcements served for periods from 6 months to a year in
Nijrab District, in northeastern
Kapisa Province, while attached to the
Tactical Interam Group of Kapisa (TIGK). As of June 20, 2011, the
11th Parachute Brigade was the brigade that endured the most losses, with 18 casualties, in Afghanistan.
Mali In January 2013, 250 French paratroopers from the
2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (
2e REP), 11th Parachute Brigade, jumped into Northern Mali to support
an offensive to capture the city of
Timbuktu.
Present Brigade Mission The 11th Parachute Brigade is a light mobile brigade capable of projecting power around the world in an emergency, as a first response to a crisis.
Superior commands The 11th Parachute Brigade is the only parachute brigade of the
French Army and is under
Ground Forces Command. However, the brigade does not comprise all the parachutes regiments of
France, as the
1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (1er RPIMa) and the
13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment (13e RDP) are attached to the
French Army Special Forces Brigade, while the
2nd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (2e RPIMa)—stationed permanently in
outre-mer, near
Réunion island—is under the command of the
Armed Forces Zones of the Indian Ocean (FAZSOI).
Order of battle The 11th Parachute Brigade is composed primarily of
infantry, with elements of
artillery, light
cavalry, and combat-engineer regiments. The brigade also includes a
Commando Parachute Group (GCP), an elite unit of pathfinders. At the beginning of 2000, the brigade was based in southwestern
France, except for the
2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) stationed in
Calvi,
Corsica. The brigade consists of 10,200 active and reserve personnel distributed in a central headquarters command and 8 operational regiments with the following composition: • Central Command • General Headquarters in
Balma. •
11th Parachute Command Transmission Company (11e CCTP) at
Balma. •
Commando Parachute Group Teams. • Combat Parachute Regiments •
1 Régiment de Hussards Parachutistes (
1 RHP) Parachute Hussar Regiment in
Tarbes with
ERC 90. •
1 Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes (
1 RCP) Parachute Chasseur Regiment in
Pamiers. •
2 Régiment Etranger de Parachutistes (
2 REP)
Foreign Legion Parachute Regiment in
Calvi. •
3 Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine (
3 RPIMa) Marine Parachute Regiment in
Carcassonne. •
8 Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine (
8 RPIMa) Marine Parachute Regiment in
Castres. • Combat Parachute Support Regiments •
1st Train Parachute Regiment, Parachute Supply Regiment in
Toulouse •
35 Régiment d'Artillerie Parachutiste (
35 RAP) Parachute Artillery Regiment in
Tarbes with
TRF1 howitzers,
CAESAR self-propelled howitzers and
RTF1 mortars. •
17 Régiment du Génie Parachutiste (
17 RGP) Parachute Engineer Regiment in
Montauban.
Equipment of the
1 Régiment de Hussards Parachutistes.
Vehicles •
ERC-90 Sagaie •
Véhicule Blindé Léger Panhard (VBL) •
Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé (VAB) • Airmobil Logistical Vehicle Auverland A3F (ALV) •
Small Protected Vehicle (SPV) •
All Terrain Vehicle Peugeot P4 (ATVP P4) •
Light Recon Support Vehicle (LRSV) •
TRM 2000 Truck (TRM) • Vehicle Transport Logistique (VTL) • Tracto-chargeur TC 910 • Mini benne TWAITES TND3 • Caterpillar D3
air-transportable Armament Artillery •
CAESAR self-propelled howitzers •
120mm F1 Mortars •
Mistral Surface to Air Missiles Support Weapons • 81 mm Mortar •
Anti-Tank Firing Missile Milan (Milan) •
Anti-Tank Firing Missile Eryx (Eryx)
Small Arms •
AT-4 84 mm Anti-Tank weapons •
FN Minimi Light Machine Gun • 51 mm Grenade Launcher F1 Model (GLF1) •
12.7mm Hécate High Caliber Precision rifle •
7.62 FRF2 Precision Rifle •
5.56 Famas Assault Rifle F1 Traditions Michael featured in
Mont Saint-Michel and the Insignia of the
9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment. Except for the troops of the
1e REG,
2e REG,
2e REP who wear a
green beret, the French army metropolitan and marine paratroopers forming the 11th Parachute Brigade wear a red Beret. The
saint's day of
Archangel Saint Michael, patron of French paratroopers, is celebrated on
29 September. The
prière du Para (Prayer of the Paratrooper) was written by
André Zirnheld in 1938.
Insignia File:Chuteur Opérationnel.jpg|French
Commando Parachute Group Brevet of Chuteur Opérationnel File:Parachutistes coloniaux-béret.jpg|Anchored Winged Armed Dextrochere of
French Army Marine Infantry Paratroopers File:Brevet Parachutiste.jpg|French
Parachute Brevet. With the paratrooper brevet of the French Army, the insignia of French paratroopers was created in 1946. The French Army insignia of metropolitan paratroopers consists of a closed "winged armed
dextrochere", ("right winged arm") with a sword pointing upwards. The insignia makes reference to the patron saint of paratroopers and represents "the right Arm of Saint Michael", the
Archangel, which, according to
Liturgy, is the "armed arm of God". This insignia is the symbol of righteous combat and fidelity to superiors and to the mission. The French Army Insignia of Marine Infantry Paratroopers is over a marine anchor. File:Insigne du 1°RCP.jpg| Insignia of
1 Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes File:Insigne régimentaire du 1er régiment de hussards parachutistes.jpg| Insignia of
1 Régiment de Hussards Parachutistes File:Insigne régimentaire du 1er Régiment du Train Parachutiste.jpg| Insignia of
1st Parachute Train Transport Regiment File:Insigne régimentaire du 3e RPIMA.JPG| Insignia of
3 Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine File:Insigne régimentaire du 8° RPIMA.jpg| Insignia of
8 Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine File:17e régiment du génie parachutiste.JPG| Insignia of
17 Régiment du Génie Parachutiste File:Insigne régimentaire du 35e régiment d'artillerie parachutistes.jpg|Insignia of
35 Régiment d'Artillerie Parachutiste Brigade Commanders == See also ==