Jean-Michel Houssin

Jean-Michel Houssin completed his national service with the 1st RPIMa (1979-1980), where he graduated as a sergeant. In 1981, he joined the Foreign Legion and first served with the 13th DBLE in Djibouti, before joining the 5th Company of the 2nd REI and participating in his first operational mission in Lebanon (FMSB, 1983).
A specialist in automotive maintenance, he quickly rose through the ranks: sergeant in 1986, then workshop manager, maintenance officer, and logistics officer. Promoted to major in 2001, he became president of the non-commissioned officers of the 2nd REI in 2006, then assistant officer at the CBI and the CCL, before heading the BOI secretariat in 2014.
In 2016, he joined the Foreign Legion Recruitment Group as head of the employment-recruitment-selection office, thoroughly modernizing the system and creating the first overseas recruitment office in French Polynesia (2018).
During his career, Major HOUSSIN served primarily in the 2nd REI, and also in the 13th DBLE, 5th RE, and 3rd REI. Having carried out more than 15 external operations (Lebanon, Ivory Coast, CAR, Chad, the Balkans, Afghanistan), he received one citation, six testimonials of satisfaction, and eighteen commendations.
Passionate about legionary history, he contributed to the creation of the war memorial at the Colonel's Quarters in Chabrières and published several works:
• History and Developments of Recruitment in the Foreign Legion (1831-2019) (2020), which earned him the title of Army Historian (2022);
• Non-Commissioned Officer of the Foreign Legion from 1831 to the Present Day (2023).
In 2025, he completed a study on the 11th Foreign Infantry Regiment, a short-lived unit during the 1939-1940 campaign.