The prefabs with their green bunk beds have replaced the rides and cotton candy at the Foire du Trône on the lawn of the Reuilly camp, in the east of the French capital, where 4,500 soldiers will be housed during the Olympics.
This camp, the largest in mainland France since the Second World War, must be built in a record time of 65 days, with the arrival of the first soldiers scheduled for July 3, thirteen days before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
“We are on schedule,” reassures Denis Lesaffre, of the Armed Forces Office which is managing the work.
In total, 18,000 soldiers must participate in the security of the Olympic Games (July 26-August 11), in support of the 45,000 internal security forces, police and gendarmerie. As for the need for private security agents, they range between 18,000 and 22,000 per day.
“In 1945, we built a canvas camp. In 2024, it is a permanent construction with amenities unimaginable 50 years ago: wifi, air conditioning, a standard almost higher than those of our deployments in external theaters of operations. This is essential to ensure the soldiers’ ability to hold out during the Olympics, explains Commissioner General Philippe Pourqué, Director General of the Armed Forces’ Office.
The last big camp set up in recent years by the French armies was that of Gao in Mali. In the middle of the desert, up to 2,000 men were deployed there as part of the anti-jihadist operation Barkhane, before their departure in 2022.
“City within the city”
This “city within the city” will accommodate large rooms that can accommodate up to 18 soldiers, bathrooms connected to the Parisian network, as well as a weight room and three refreshment bars with beer on the menu but no strong alcohol or of wine.
Certainly, this military operation “is not Africa (where France was deployed as part of Barkhane and still has bases in Djibouti, Senegal, Gabon, Chad and Ivory Coast, editor’s note) nor Eastern Europe (where France has deployed troops within the framework of NATO, in Romania in particular, editor’s note), but it is at the heart of the mission of the armies to ensure the protection of the population , and in the context of a unique, global event, it means being at the heart of current events and it is stimulating,” praises the Commissioner General.
The soldiers’ main mission will be to lead patrols, covering around 20 km each outing, with around twenty kilos on their backs, as part of Operation Sentinel. They must also be able to be mobilized in the field within 30 minutes in the event of an emergency.
The main threats are “the terrorist threat, drones, and the protest threat, cyber attacks”, according to the military governor of Paris, Christophe Abad.
The camp was named after Corporal Alain Mimoun, who joined the French army at the age of 18 before becoming one of the greatest French athletes, a three-time Olympic medalist, in 1948, 1952 and 1956.
Fenced over 10 hectares, it blends into the landscape, at the request of heritage and environmental services. Facilities do not exceed one floor and are built at a distance of at least two meters from protected trees.
Even the design of the restaurant follows the location of the pine, beech or chestnut trees. Spreading over 5000 m2with 2100 seats, this space will have to store tons of food and provide for the supply of more than 5 liters per man per day.