Macron unveils voluntary military service as concerns grow over Russia
Source: RFI – All the news from France, Europe, Africa and the rest of the world.
President Emmanuel Macron has announced the creation of a voluntary youth military service to start by mid-2026 as France moves to strengthen its armed forces amid rising concern over Russia’s threat beyond the war in Ukraine.
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The plan comes as several European nations worry about US President Donald Trump’s shifting priorities and the impact of Russia’s aggressive posture.
“France cannot remain idle,” Macron said during a speech Thursday at the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade in Varces in the French Alps.
He said the project was “inspired by practices of our European partners … at a time when all our European allies advance in response to a threat that weighs on us all”.
Macron said the scheme will be open to 18 and 19-year-olds, who will be paid, and will last 10 months. It will cost €2 billion, which he called “a significant and necessary effort”.
The programme aims to take in 3,000 people in 2026, all serving on French soil, rising to 10,000 by 2030.
“My ambition for France is to reach 50,000 youth by 2036, depending on evolving threats,” Macron said.
After completing the programme, participants could return to civilian life, join the reserves or stay in the armed forces, he said.
France’s Macron wants more young volunteers ‘to reinforce’ the army
No return to conscription
Obligatory national service ended in France in 1996, and Macron said bringing it back makes no sense for today’s needs.
However, France is seeking to strengthen its defences as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues to unsettle Europe.
“The day that you send a signal of weakness to Russia – which for 10 years has made a strategic choice to become an imperial power again, that’s to say advance wherever we are weak – well, it will continue to advance,” Macron told RTL radio on Tuesday.
No volunteers sent to front line
France’s military has about 200,000 active personnel and over 40,000 reservists. It is the second largest force in the European Union, just behind Poland.
Last week, France’s new army chief of staff, General Fabien Mandon, warned that the country must be ready to “lose its children” in a possible conflict with Russia, prompting strong political reactions.
Macron sought to calm those fears.
“We must absolutely, immediately, dispel any confused idea suggesting we are going to send our young people to Ukraine,” he said on Tuesday, alluding to Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour in 2022.
Ten EU countries have compulsory military service: Austria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden. Norway, which is not a member, has mandatory military service for both men and women.
The length of service ranges from as little as two months in Croatia to up to 19 months in Norway.
(with newswires)
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