Descended from the 2nd Foreign Parachute Battalion which served in Indochina, it fought in Algeria, and more recently in Kolwezi (Zaïre) during the Battle of Kolwezi in 1978. Having participated in all French exterior operations since 1970, the regiment has operated in Chad, Lebanon, and the former Yugoslavia since 1992, at Djibouti, Rwanda, in Central Africa and even Gabon. In 1997, the regiment was engaged in the Congo-Brazzaville during Operation Pelican (). From 2002 to 2003, at the beginning of Opération Licorne, the regiment was engaged in the Ivory Coast. More recently in 2010, the regiment fought in Afghan theatre as part of the Brigade La Fayette (or "Task Force La Fayette") as GTIA Surobi, code Battle Group Altor.