France Prepares: Military Service Returns 🇫🇷💪

World News

Speaking in an interview with RTL, the head of state stated his intention to announce a “transformation of national military service into a new form.” He emphasized that “we would be wrong to show weakness in the face of this threat from Russia,” arguing that “we French – which is my sole concern – must demonstrate that we are not weak against the power that threatens us the most.” According to multiple sources familiar with the decision, who spoke to AFP, the head of state is scheduled to unveil the change during a visit to an infantry brigade in southeastern France on Thursday. He added that it is “absolutely necessary, at least immediately, to dispel any confused idea suggesting that we are going to send our young people to Ukraine.” While full details remain unannounced, several key elements have emerged, including the fact that this new system will be entirely voluntary, eliminating any return to conscription or compulsory service. The government’s initial target is to recruit 2,000 to 3,000 individuals – men and women – in the first year, with the goal of scaling up to 50,000 recruits annually by 2035. These recruits would commit to 10 months of service, receiving training in military skills such as weapons handling, and would earn a monthly salary of between €900 and €1,000 during their service. The initiative aims to establish a skilled reserve force that can be mobilized in an emergency, though this approach differs from France’s existing 47,000-strong army reserve.

Serving on the parliamentary defence committee, Jean-фрançois Mandon stated in French media that France has transitioned from a conscript army to the professional force established in the 1990s, now focused on external operations. He explained that the current structure incorporates both professional and volunteer personnel. Recognizing the growing demand for specialized skills – including drone pilots, lawyers, linguists, and engineers – Mandon also emphasized the necessity of maintaining a reserve force capable of handling high-intensity combat situations. France currently recruits approximately 20,000 individuals annually across the army, navy, and air force, maintaining one of Europe’s largest standing armed forces with 200,000 troops. Mandon defended his comments from last week, asserting they were intended to “alert and prepare” in response to a “rapidly deteriorating” geopolitical context. This shift is underscored by France’s National Strategic Review for 2025, which forecasts a potential “major, high-intensity engagement in Europe’s neighbourhood by 2027-2030, coinciding with a massive increase in hybrid attacks on its territory.” France abolished compulsory national service in 1997, following a period where men aged 18 to 23 were required to serve a 10-month military or defence service obligation. President Macron, the first French president young enough to not have personally completed national service, initially proposed a return to conscription as part of his 2017 election campaign, but this proposal was not implemented.

The Service national universel, available for 15 and 16-year-olds, involves a month-long period of community service. Furthermore, all 16- to 25-year-old French citizens are required to participate in a compulsory Defence and Citizenship Day, known as the Journée de Défense et de Citoyenneté (JDC), where they receive instruction on the rights and responsibilities associated with being a French citizen.