France: Macron announces a new voluntary military service as of 2026

(AFP) French President, Emmanuel Macron, announced Thursday the establishment of a new voluntary military service for 18 and 19 year olds beginning in mid-2026, citing "accelerating crises" and "the upsurge of threats."

France thus follows in the wake of other European countries which, faced with the growing threat they see in Russia, reintroduced a military service, either compulsory or voluntary.

"A new national service will be progressively put in place from next summer," Macron announced, during a visit to an infantry brigade in Varces, in southeastern France.

The French presidency specified that the service, intended mainly for volunteers aged 18 and 19, will last 10 months and pay about 800 euros (around $926) per month.

The program aims to enroll about 3,000 volunteers in the first cohort in 2026 and reach 42,500 by 2035.

The announcement follows a controversy sparked by the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, General Fabien Mandon, who last week called on the French to "accept to lose their children" in the event of conflict in Europe.

President Emmanuel Macron clarified that the volunteers would serve only within the "national territory," stating that "youth is thirsty for commitment" and that a "generation is ready to stand up for the homeland."

France suspended compulsory military service in 1997, during the presidency of conservative Jacques Chirac, as did other countries after the disappearance of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the end of the Cold War.

However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 brought fears back to Europe.

"The acceleration of crises and the resurgence of threats lead me to propose a purely military national service today," Macron stressed.

According to a March Ipsos poll, about 86% of the French public favors reintroducing a military service, while 33% believe it should be voluntary.