France will introduce a voluntary military service of 10 months beginning next summer, becoming the latest EU country to hint at war preparations in the face of a growing threat from Russia.
President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed the expansion of the military, focusing on volunteers mostly aged 18 to 19.
‘A new national service will be introduced, gradually starting next summer,’ he said during a speech to troops in Varces-Allieres-et-Risset.
This makes France the first European heavyweight – and the first nation that has nuclear capabilities – to reintroduce military service.
Macron stressed that volunteers would be deployed ‘only on national soil’ and not to the frontline in Ukraine.
Volunteers would see ‘serious’ combat training to ‘reaffirm the importance of preparing the nation and its morale to face growing threats’, the Élysée Palace said earlier today.
The hopes are that 3,000 people will join in the first year.
But the new voluntary service could see up to 50,000 per year as it evolves, as military officials confirm they are ‘preparing for a confrontation with our countries by 2030’.
It comes as the threat of an attack from Russia continues to loom over the continent.
Last week, France’s top general made headlines as he warned that the country ‘must be prepared to lose its children’.
The US has made clear they expect Europe to take care of their own defence and now rely on them to counter Russia’s threats.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies think-tank said: ‘Most European armies struggle to meet their recruitment targets and retain trained personnel, as well as to generate a sufficient reserve.’
Nordic and Baltic states a; already have some form of conscription, with Finland having one of the world’s largest reserves based on universal male conscription.
Sweden has also reintroduced selective conscription, with mandatory registration for both men and women.
Meanwhile, in the UK General Sir Richard Barrons said the UK has not invested in ‘the things it needs for a long war,’ instead leaving them to ‘wither’.
He graded civil defence ‘one out of 10’ and warned UK institutions are still operating on the complacent peacetime assumption that protracted wars do not happen anymore.
He told the Long War Conference 2025, held in Whitehall by Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), that the country needs to be ready for a long war – but that with the speed of production, ‘at best, we will be quite ready in about 10 years’.
