They will be in Paris tomorrow to adapt to the terrain. The soldiers of the 4th Gap Hunter Regiment will participate in the security of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games which will take place this summer in France. In shifts, all of these 800 soldiers based in the Hautes-Alpes prefecture will be at work in the Paris region to fight against possible terrorist threats. “Monitor, detect risks and guide internal security forces“, details Colonel Vincent Flore, commander of the regiment since July 2023, who gave an interview to La Provence before boarding for the capital.
Which part of the regiment will participate in the security of the Olympics this summer?
Everyone is going to leave. The regiment as such is 800 soldiers, who will not all leave at the same time, but between June 17 and September 18 all the units will take turns. Most of the time, between 300 and 400 soldiers from Gap will remain permanently on site for this mission to protect the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Starting this mission early is normal, we like to anticipate, to plan… For the opening ceremony, on July 26, we will have to be ready, to have appropriated our zones, to have good “connected” the pipes, in particular with the internal security forces, the prefectural authorities, and all private actors. Between June 20 and July 20, we will be in a ramp-up phase. We are going to have a lot of work to do on the ground and human knowledge.
How do you adapt your know-how in a context like this?
Our soldiers are still used to the national territory, through Operation Sentinel since 2015. They do not have powers of justice or judicial police, so they have very precise rules of engagement: this is not not about maintaining order, it’s not about the fight against delinquency, it’s really about the fight against terrorism.
