OFFICERS WHO COME FROM ABROAD (Off-TE)

By Captain (ER-TE) Louis Perez y Cid

We are full-fledged officers, drawn from the ranks, volunteering as legionnaires and selected from within the Legion itself. In short, "home-grown" officers, deemed reliable.
Since its creation in 1831, the Legion has had to appoint Off-TEs. In 1832, experience showed that selection by rank was effective. This tradition continues to this day.
Our existence has, among other benefits: allowed young legionnaires to find someone who speaks their language, and offered the most ambitious the hope of a career based on merit.

In the 1920s, General Rollet expanded the recruitment of Legion officers to the French infantry. The primary goal was to broaden the selection pool and thus the quality of command. The conduct of affairs, general direction, and preservation of traditions have always been the responsibility of these Saint-Cyrian officers of the general regime. They are trained for this.
The Off-TEs are a complement: coming from the inner circle, they intimately know the establishment and, above all, the spirit of the legionnaire.
Yes, the officers of the general regime pave the way; the Off-TEs move the mule forward when it rears up. In other words, the former build, steer, and develop the machine; the latter keep it running. Whether we like it or not, that's how it is, with rare exceptions.
This assessment may seem subjective, as everyone sees things their own way, but let's remember that the Off-TEs represent only a minority of the officer corps. The Legion could survive without them, but could it survive without its officers of the general regime? I doubt it. Some even call us "interval officers"; each to their own judgment.
As an Arab proverb says: "The head rules the dog, not the tail."
So let's remain clear-headed and, as our elders used to say, "stay calm and drink cold," but let everyone hold their own.
Let's keep in mind that the Foreign Legion is not the business of a single category: neither the officer, nor the non-commissioned officer, nor the legionnaire, but of the whole, and each in their own capacity. What matters is the cohesion of the bloc. It is this unwavering solidarity that has made the Legion strong and successful, not individualism.

At the beginning of all things, there is a will. In 1999, Commander Christian Morisot, then at FELE, proposed to the Off-TE members, both former and active, that they meet annually on January 17th, for the feast of Saint Anthony of the Desert, the patron saint of the Legion.

This desire responded to a need: to meet, exchange ideas between generations, and simply share the pleasure of camaraderie. Initially tentative, participation increased, and several meeting venues were tested. Some would have liked to give these meetings a more specific purpose, but the majority preferred that they remain informal and fraternal in places that symbolize solidarity, such as Auriol and Puyloubier. These meetings continued until the interruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
General COMLE revived the idea: on January 17, 2025, on Saint Antoine's Day, the Off-TEs, both former and active, were invited to the Viénot district, in the presence of officers from the Mother House, for a shared lunch. Only eight former members participated, and while the informality had disappeared, the fraternal spirit remained.
And that's the essential point, even if it's invisible to the naked eye...