French President Emmanuel Macron announced this Thursday, November 27th, a new voluntary military service program aimed at 18 and 19 year olds. The initiative, which begins next year, aims to strengthen the capabilities of the armed forces in the face of the growing Russian threat on the European continent since the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The presentation was made at the Varces military base, in the French Alps. Macron described the plan as a necessary response at a time that he considers to be a “great risk” for Europe. The Gallic head of state explained that the objective is not to recover the mandatory military system, abolished in 1996, but to create a mobilization model that strengthens the bond between the country and the new generations.
According to Macron, the program will last ten months and will be limited to French territory and overseas regions and will not include combat missions abroad. The Gallic president stressed that there is “a generation ready to stand up for the country”. “We cannot go back to the time of compulsory military service, but we need mobilization,” he added.
The measure comes at a time when Paris is looking to increase the number of reservists. Currently, France has around 200,000 active military personnel and more than 40,000 reservists, making it the second largest military contingent in the European Union, only behind Poland. The goal is to reach 100,000 reservists by 2030.
Macron also warned that any sign of weakness towards Moscow would be misinterpreted. “When a signal of weakness is sent to Russia, which ten years ago chose to return to acting as an imperial power, it advances where it sees us as weak. And will continue to move forward”, he declared.
The president also confirmed an increase in military investment. An additional 6.5 billion euros will be invested over the next two years, as part of the plan that foresees reaching 64 billion euros in annual defense budget in 2027, the last year of his second term. This amount represents twice the budget existing when he assumed the presidency in 2017.