President Emmanuel Macron will unveil a new military service plan later this week aimed at increasing the size and resilience of France’s armed forces.
Details remain limited, but French outlets report the scheme would be voluntary, paid and run for about ten months, with recruits receiving roughly €900–€1,000 a month.
Macron has taken pains to say the proposal does not mean young people will be sent to fight in Ukraine, stressing the initiative is about strengthening national defence and civic knowledge of the military.
He framed the move as a response to young people’s interest in serving and to the challenge posed by Russia’s hybrid tactics, arguing France must show firmness when faced with external threats.
The president is expected to set out the plan in more detail during a visit to a military base on Thursday.
Conscription was abolished in France in 1996.
The current Service national universel (SNU), introduced in 2019, offers just two weeks of training plus two weeks of community work and has attracted limited participation.
Political reactions are mixed.
Centre-left MP Raphaël Glucksmann said he supports a broader, compulsory scheme — not necessarily military — to build social cohesion.
The far-right National Rally’s Sébastien Chenu backed a mandatory three-month service for all young people as a starting point.
The announcement follows tensions in France’s military discourse.
Last week the army chief of staff sparked controversy by warning that a lack of willingness to fight is a major vulnerability in any confrontation with Russia.
Macron has repeatedly warned that Europe must be prepared to defend itself if traditional security ties shift, and several other European countries have recently reintroduced or strengthened national service programs to bolster readiness.
Officials say more specifics will be revealed at Thursday’s address, including how the new scheme would be organised and funded.
