Years of service 1962-2000 | ||
 | ||
Units 1st Foreign Regiment, 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment | ||
Christian Piquemal born 17 December 1940 in Huos (Haute-Garonne), is a retired army corps general of the French Army who was commander of the French Foreign Legion from 1994 to 1999. His name was brought into the international media spotlight when he was arrested for taking part in a Pegida demonstration in Calais on 6 February 2016. His trial was scheduled to take place on 12 May 2016 at Boulogne-sur-Mer. Marion Maréchal-Le Pen supports him. On 26 May 2016, he was acquitted.
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Military career
Educated at the Lycée Hoche in Versailles, Piquemal joined the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr as a cadet in October 1960 and after passing out was commissioned as a Sous-Lieutenant in April 1962.
In October the same year, he joined the Infantry School of Application at Saint-Maixent, then the following year opted to serve in the French Foreign Legion. His first operational unit was the 1st Foreign Infantry Regiment, 1e REI, at Aubagne, which in August 1964 sent him to Mers El Kébir, then the home of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, 2e REP. After that, he took part with his regiment in a posting to New Caledonia lasting eight months.
Promoted to Lieutenant, Piquemal served as a platoon commander (chef de section), then as sports training officer for legionnaires, and next as adjutant to the Commandant of the 4th combat company of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, 2e REP.
With the same rank, Piquemal next served under the command of Général Marcel Bigeard. In June 1967, he joined the new headquarters of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, at Calvi, which had previously been assigned to the 1st Paratroop Shock Battalion of the 11th Shock Parachute Half-Brigade. Piquemal went on to serve in the 9th Parachute Chasseur Regiment, 9e RCP.
Already holding an engineering diploma from Supélec, in 1969 he began to study nuclear engineering at the University of Paris-Jussieu (French: Université de Paris-Jussieu) and at the School of Military Nuclear Energy Applications (French: École des applications militaires de l'énergie atomique) and consequently earned a technical brevet for higher military studies from the Superior War College (French: École supérieure de guerre).
Appointed as deputy senior officer (chef-adjoint) of the Technical and Radiology Studies Centre of the Directorate for Nuclear Tests, from 1978 to 1980 he was based at the Pacific Ocean Test Centre.
In 1985, Piquemal was appointed as commanding officer of the 3rd Foreign Infantry Regiment 3e REI, a two-year posting until 1987. Then for three years he was deputy to the head of the military cabinet of the Prime Minister (French: Chef du cabinet militaire du Premier ministre) during the tenure of three Socialist French Prime Ministers: The Government of Michel Rocard (1989-1991), the Government of Édith Cresson (1991-1992), then the Government of Pierre Bérégovoy (1992-1993) · .
In 1994, with the rank of Divisional General, Piquemal took command of the French Foreign Legion, a post he held until 1999.
During his years in command of the French Foreign Legion, Piquemal created a cross-country team within the Legion. As part of this team, Corporal Mohamed Ouaadi took first place in the Paris Marathon of 2000.
In 1999, Chrsitian Piquemal was promoted to the rank of Général de corps d'armée.
In retirement, he was President of the National Union of Paratroopers (French: Union nationale des parachutistes, UNP) from 2004 to 2014.