FRANCHE-COMTÉ, French Alps — President Emmanuel Macron has announced the launch of a new, paid 10-month national military service for young French adults, framing it as a necessary “mobilisation of the nation” as Europe grapples with mounting security threats and uncertainty over long-term US protection.
Speaking at a military base in the Alps, Macron said the programme will begin next year for volunteers aged 18 and 19, marking France’s most ambitious step toward rebuilding a “nation in arms” since conscription was suspended in 1997.
“We cannot return to the time of conscription. But we need mobilisation,” Macron said. “Mobilisation of the nation to defend itself. Not against any particular enemy, but to be ready and to be respected.”
Limited at first, scaled up over a decade
The new scheme will start modestly, with around 3,000 participants in 2026, but is intended to expand to 50,000 volunteers per year by 2035. Service will be carried out only on French soil — in mainland France and overseas territories — and will not involve deployment to active combat zones or current overseas operations.
Macron also left the door open to a much broader call-up in an emergency.
“In the event of a major crisis, parliament may authorise calling upon more than just volunteers, those whose skills have been identified during this day of mobilisation, and then national service would become mandatory,” he said.
Military chiefs have broadly welcomed the move, which mirrors efforts in other European countries to rebuild reserve forces and strengthen societal resilience in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine and a more volatile global order.
Big jump in defence spending
The new service comes alongside a sharp rise in defence investment. Macron has pledged an additional $7.6 billion in military spending over the next two years, with France aiming to reach about $74 billion in annual defence expenditure by 2027.
France’s armed forces currently count around 200,000 active personnel and over 40,000 reservists, making them the EU’s second-largest military after Poland. Paris plans to more than double its reserve forces to 100,000 by 2030, using the new national service as a pipeline for trained manpower.
Framing the measures as a response to a more dangerous world, Macron argued that a country’s security can no longer rest solely on professional soldiers and external alliances.
“The world has changed,” he told troops and young attendees. “To be protected, France must be ready — and for that, the whole nation must be involved.”
