Nicolas Le Nen is a

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

officer. Since 2007, he has commanded the 27ème bataillon de chasseurs alpins, and heads the

Groupement tactique interarmes de Kapisa The ''Groupement tactique interarmes de Kapisa'' (GTIA Kapisa, "joint tactical group of Kapisa"), also called Task Force Korrigan, was a battalion-sized unit of the French Army, based in Kapisa Province, in Afghanistan. It operated in the frame ...

Biography

Le Nen joined Saint-Cyr in 1986, and chose Infantry after graduation. After a year at the École d'application de l'infanterie, he joined the 27ème bataillon de chasseurs alpins in

Annecy Annecy ( , ; frp, Èneci or ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy, south of Geneva, Switzerland. Nicknamed ...

, and later in

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ca, Perpinyà ; es, Perpiñán ; it, Perpignano ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the ...

as a unit commander. Rising to lieutenant-colonel, he served at the Army headquarter under General Yves Crene from 1999 to 2002, under general Bernard Thorette from 2002 to 2006, and under general

Bruno Cuche Bruno may refer to: People and fictional characters *Bruno (name), including lists of people and fictional characters with either the given name or surname * Bruno, Duke of Saxony (died 880) * Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne, ...

from 2006 to 2007 On 31 August 2007, Le Nen was promoted to colonel and took command of the 27 BCA, for two years. Le Nen has also headed the

groupement tactique interarmes de Kapisa The ''Groupement tactique interarmes de Kapisa'' (GTIA Kapisa, "joint tactical group of Kapisa"), also called Task Force Korrigan, was a battalion-sized unit of the French Army, based in Kapisa Province, in Afghanistan. It operated in the frame ...

from December 2008 to June 2009. He notably commanded during the

Battle of Alasay The Battle of Alasay, codenamed Operation Dinner Out, was a military operation carried out by French troops of the Chasseurs Alpins's 27e Battalion and the Afghan National Army (ANA) 1st ''Kandak'' (battalion) between 14 and 23 March 2009. M ...

, after which he was awarded the U.S.

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

. After post on classic infantry, Le Nen enters the

DGSE The General Directorate for External Security (french: link=no, Direction générale de la Sécurité extérieure, DGSE) is France's foreign intelligence agency, equivalent to the British MI6 and the American CIA, established on 2 April 1982. ...

(French foreign intelligence agency), in the clandestine action branch ("Service

Action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

") i
1996
-

/CPIS : Unit commander (1996-1999) - DGSE : Commanding officer of the Action Division (2014-2018) - CPCO : commanding officer (since 2020)

Honours

Officer of the Légion d’honneur * Croix de la Valeur Militaire ribbon

Croix de la Valeur Militaire The Cross for Military Valour (french: Croix de la Valeur Militaire) is a military decoration of France. It recognises an individual bestowed a Mention in Dispatches earned for showing valour in presence of an enemy, in theatres of operations wh ...

Croix du Combattant (1930 France) ribbon

Croix du combattant The Combatant's Cross (french: "Croix du combattant") is a French decoration that recognizes, as its name implies, those who fought in combat for France. The Poilus (French combat soldiers) of World War I worked toward recognition by the govern ...

Overseas Medal The Overseas Medal (french: Médaille d'Outre-Mer) is a commemorative or campaign medal issued to members of the French Armed Forces and other nations in assistance to French troops for participating in operations outside national territory. It rep ...

Médaille de la Défense nationale The National Defence Medal (french: "Médaille de la Défense nationale") is a French military decoration. It was created by Charles Hernu, Minister of Defence and established by decree on 21 April 1982. It rewards particularly honourable service ...

bronze * Médaille de reconnaissance de la Nation (d’Afrique du Nord) * Ruban de la Médaille commémorative française

Médaille commémorative française The French commemorative medal (french: "Médaille commémorative française") is a French decoration intended to recognize civilians and soldiers who took part in specific missions ordered by the French government carried out outside of French ...

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

Works

* Hervé de Courrèges, Pierre-Joseph Givre and Nicolas Le Nen (preface by Henri Bentégeat), ''Guerre en montagne : renouveau tactique'', Économica, Paris, 2006, * Nicolas Le Nen (ill. Yvon Ristori), ''Notre panache, École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr'', Coëtquidan, 1989,

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Nen, Nicolas 1966 births French Army officers French military personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr alumni Living people Knights of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Cross for Military Valour