French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday announced the introduction of voluntary military service in France due to the growing threat from Russia and the risk of a new conflict in Europe. Volunteers aged 18 and 19 will begin service next year as part of a 10-month program, France 24 reports, writes UNN.
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Almost three decades after France abolished universal conscription, the head of state presented a new program during a visit to an infantry brigade stationed in southeastern France.
"The new national service will be created gradually, starting next summer," Macron said, speaking at the Varses military base in the French Alps.
Young volunteers will serve only in mainland France and overseas territories, not in French military operations abroad, Macron added.
By 2030, it is planned to recruit 10,000 new recruits.
Macron's statement came more than three and a half years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Macron and other French officials warn of the risk that Moscow will not stop at Ukraine's borders.
"The day you send a signal of weakness to Russia, which for 10 years has made the strategic choice to become an imperial power again, that is, to advance where we are weak, it will continue to advance," the French president said on RTL radio on Tuesday.
He stated that France intends to spend 64 billion euros on defense per year in 2027, the last year of his second term. This is twice the 32 billion euros in annual spending when he became president in 2017.
France is not considering restoring universal conscription, which the country abolished in 1996.
The country's top general, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Fabien Mandon, caused outrage in the country last week by warning that France must be ready to "lose its children," adding that Russia is "preparing for a confrontation with our countries by 2030."
Accused of warmongering by the left, General Mandon expressed no regret for his comments last week, saying the goal was to "prepare and be ready" for a "rapid deterioration" of the situation.
Mandon argued on Saturday that the reaction to his comments "shows that this is something that perhaps has not been sufficiently perceived by our population."
But before Thursday's announcement, Macron and other officials went to great lengths to quell the outrage caused by the general's frank comments and fears that French youth would be sent to the front lines. On Tuesday, the country's president said he needed to dispel any notion that "we are going to send our youth to Ukraine."
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Military service is seen as a way to replenish the army with recruits, as well as a way to provide a large reserve of potential reservists who can be called up in the event of a future war, the publication writes.
The French armed forces number about 200,000 active military personnel and 47,000 reservists. By 2030, their numbers are expected to increase to 210,000 and 100,000, respectively.