France’s Foreign Legion – an elite force of foreign volunteers serving under French command – will on Thursday hold its most important annual commemoration. The legion's commander, General Cyrille Youchtchenko, spoke to RFI about its role in an era of drone warfare and rising security fears.
Founded in 1831, the legion is open to recruits from around the world and currently includes soldiers from 144 countries. Today, it has 9,600 troops, making up around 10 percent of the French army’s ground forces, and is deployed across 17 territories.
