France brings back limited military service with 3,000 volunteers next year

A limited military service will be reintroduced in France in response to growing fears of a confrontation with Russia.

More than 25 years after conscription was abolished, the plan calls for young men and women to volunteer for 10 months of paid military training.

“The only way to avoid danger is to prepare for it,” President Emmanuel Macron said as he announced the plan at an infantry base near Grenoble in southeastern France. “We need to take action, mobilize the nation to defend itself, to be prepared and to remain respected.”

The new “national service” will be introduced gradually from next summer, particularly for 18 and 19-year-olds who will receive at least €800 (£700) a month.

“In this uncertain world where power has triumphed over the right, the battle is in the present,” Macron said. He added that the armed forces would benefit from motivated young French men and women: “This is an act of trust in our youth.”

Initially numbers will be limited to 3,000 next year, but this is expected to rise to 50,000 by 2035.

There are currently approximately 200,000 military personnel in France, as well as 47,000 reservists. The new plan should lead to a three-tier structure of professionals, reserve staff and volunteers.

The change puts France on par with other European countries that have introduced military service programs with different parameters due to fears of Russian aggression.

Belgium and the Netherlands introduced voluntary military service and Germany is planning something similar.

This month alone, the Belgian defense ministry sent letters to 17-year-olds inviting them to volunteer for around €2,000 (£1,750) a month.

Further east, in Lithuania and Latvia, there are compulsory programs where students are selected by lottery. Sweden, which recently joined NATO, introduced nine to 15 months of military service, with selection based on merit.

While some European countries such as Finland and Greece never stopped military service, Switzerland will vote on Sunday to replace compulsory service for men with compulsory civic duty for all.

Other countries, including the UK and Spain, currently have no plans to reintroduce this technology.

French chiefs of staff are generally in favor of the new measure, which they hope will create a reservoir of trained personnel who can support professional soldiers and replace them in non-frontline roles.

It is also hoped that many volunteers will go on to full military careers.

“The new military service moves us in the direction of hybridization of the armed forces,” said Thomas Gassilloud, chairman of the National Assembly’s defense committee. “We have come a long way towards becoming fully professional.”

The threat of an impending, albeit ill-defined, standoff with Russia has become part of France’s national discourse. The government regularly warns of overlooked events or Moscow’s attempts to poison public opinion through social media.

Recently, the newly appointed chief of staff, General Fabien Mandon, raised the alarm to a new level, saying that French military planning was built on the assumption of a conflict with Russia in the next three or four years.

Last week he went further, telling mayors that what France lacks is the spirit of sacrifice and urging them to be prepared for the possibility of “losing children” in war.

These words, which were immediately condemned by some of the far left and far right, were also seen as useless by the government; Macron reassured the country last weekend that he had no plans to send young soldiers to fight in Ukraine.

Polls show that the vast majority of the public supports voluntary military service. An Elabe poll this week found that 73% of respondents supported the measure. Young people aged 25-34 were the least supportive group, but even in this age group there was a 60% majority.

A similar picture emerged in a random survey conducted by the BBC on the streets of Paris.

“This is a good thing,” said Louis, a 22-year-old student. “It can help grow the military, but it’s also a way to love your nation more.”

Another student, Eilan, said: “When you’re in the military, you meet people from all over. You learn new perspectives on things… You learn to talk, trust, and coexist with other people.”

“From what I’ve read in the newspapers, our military isn’t that strong, so if we need to prepare for the future, maybe this would be a good idea,” said set designer Brigitte.

But Lalie, a 21-year-old shop assistant, disagreed: “I think there are more important issues. It’s a shame that the president doesn’t care much about young people, their mental health, their finances, and instead focuses on military service.”

In 1996, then-President Jacques Chirac made the decision to end military service as part of the peace achieved from the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Compulsory military training for young men had been part of national life since the French Revolution, which created the idea of ​​the citizen-soldier.

A 1798 law regulating conscription read: “Every Frenchman is a soldier and is obliged to defend the fatherland.” And after losing to Prussia in 1871, Republican leader Léon Gambetta said: “When a citizen is born in France, he is born a soldier.”

The Algerian war of independence was the last conflict fought by French soldiers and left more than 12,000 dead.

By the 1990s, the length of service was reduced to 10 months and civilian employment options were offered instead.

Since the last conscript passed away in 2001, there have been various, vague attempts to keep alive something of the spirit of military service; Supporters said it strengthened the sense of unity and equality.

High school (high school) students still have to attend Defense and Citizenship Day and the flag-raising ceremony, where they are lectured on rights and duties.

During his first term, Macron also established Universal National Service, a four-week course on civic responsibilities and practical training that was expected to build national solidarity in the wake of terrorist attacks in the 2010s. But the scheme was criticized as an expensive and under-attended form of holiday camping and was canceled earlier this year.

Although this new plan seems to be generally well received, there are still questions about its financing, as a debt crisis looms over the country and the parliament has still not approved the 2026 budget.