Between My Men and My Commanders: A Lieutenant's Journal in Mali

Deployed in Mali from May to September 2014 with his platoon, his men, within his squadron. He shares with us, day by day, his impressions of this demanding theatre of operations, his reflections on his men, his unit, the military institution and his country, France — seen through the eyes of a young lieutenant freshly graduated from officer training school.
He also speaks to us of this country in which the French Army brilliantly repelled an Islamist offensive, astonishing the international community with its speed of execution and the complete success of the mission. It now seeks to stabilise a vast region, thereby ensuring the security of the entire European continent single-handedly in this desert zone.

Having always intended to pursue a military career, LTN Tencheni, after several fine years spent at the Prytanée National Militaire de La Flèche, enlisted at the ENSOA (École Nationale des Sous-Officiers d'Active) in Saint-Maixent-l'École in 2006. Choosing the 2nd Hussar Regiment upon graduation, he spent three years there as a maréchal des logis. Having passed the competitive examination for the EMIA in 2010, he trained there for two years before graduating as a lieutenant in 2012 and choosing the Armoured Cavalry branch. From 2012 to 2013, he trained at Saumur at the École de Cavalerie as a reconnaissance and investigation platoon commander. He left in the summer of 2013 and spent a year preparing with his squadron to deploy to Mali on Operation Serval.