France - Insigne 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment

The 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (French: 8^e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine, 8^eRPIMa) is an airborne regiment of the French Army. The 8^e RPIMa was created on February 28 1951 and the men bear wearing the red beret. This elite regiment is part of the 11th Parachute Brigade.

The regiment is garrisoned at Castres, France.Current missions of the 8^e RPIMa revolve around peacekeepingand assistance to world populations, and in that regard at the service and disposition of NATO or the United Nations directives. The regiment intervenes around the world protecting French interests in and not limited to : Tchad, Lebanon, New Caledonia, Kuwait, Rwanda, Gabon, Kurdistan, Zaïre, Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, RDC, ex-Yugoslavia, Cambodia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Ivory Coast, and Afghanistan. In outremer, the regiment is engaged in operations defending French interests, or countries that are in liaison with France in security missions. In Europe, the regiment is engaged in defending the national French territory at the corps of the terrestrial action force. This regiment can be rapidly deployed anywhere in the world. The regiment parts various Commando Parachute Groups, a group of French elite units. Parachute training is conducted at the École des troupes aéroportées (ETAP) in Pau.