President Emmanuel Macron will announce on Thursday the implementation of a "voluntary" military service in France, during his planned visit to the Varces military base, focused on creating "a new framework of service in our armed forces." The announcement comes days after significant concern among the French following the recent speech by the Chief of Staff, Fabien Mandon, stating that the country should be willing "to accept losing its children."
Macron will confirm the creation of the so-called Voluntary Military Service (VMS), twenty-eight years after President Jacques Chirac suspended compulsory military service in France in 1997 (replacing the failed universal national service created in 2019).
The expected duration will be 10 months, and recruits, over 17 years old, would receive an allowance of several hundred euros while completing their military training. Its implementation will initially be modest, between 2,000 and 3,000 in the first year, with a gradual increase to reach 50,000 recruits per year in the long term.
"It is not about sending our young people to Ukraine," Macron clarified in statements to RTL radio, addressing the alarm caused by General Mandon's speech, who warned that Moscow is preparing "for a confrontation with our countries by 2030."
"We need to dispel any misleading idea right now that we are going to send our young people to Ukraine; that is not the case at all," emphasized Macron, reiterating that French soldiers will not participate "in a war context" but only as part of a multilateral force that would deploy "on the day of peace signing" and to participate in training and security operations for the Ukrainian army.
"Is Russia ready for lasting peace, that is, peace that prevents the reinvasion of Ukraine six, eight months, or two years later?" Macron asked. "The main security guarantee is the regeneration of the Ukrainian army."
"Today, one of the main threats to our country is Russia," declared Macron, blaming Moscow for instigating "hybrid warfare" on European soil with "cyberattacks," drone deployments, and incitement of anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim incidents on French territory.
"If we are weak in Ukraine, if we say 'it is no longer our problem, and after all, they are far away,' that day we send a signal of weakness to Russia, which will continue to advance," Macron warned. "Because ultimately, Russia made a strategic decision 10 years ago: to return to being an imperial power, to advance where we are weak."
"It is very clear that we must strengthen the pact between the Army and the nation," emphasized the French president, referring to the "desire for commitment from the youth" and directing his compatriots to the speech he will give on Thursday, following his participation in the G20 summit in Johannesburg and his involvement in the negotiations on the peace plan for Ukraine proposed by Donald Trump.
In his speech last Saturday, General Fabien Mandon also anticipated the creation of the new voluntary military service, arguing that other European countries (such as Belgium and the Netherlands) have adopted similar measures and ensuring that the entire continent "is looking at France," considering it the most effective army in Europe.
The general highlighted how European armies total over 1.4 million men and women, compared to Russia's 1.3 million, which allocates 40% of its economy to the Defense industry: "We have all the knowledge and economic and demographic strength to deter the Moscow regime from trying to expand beyond its borders. What we lack is the strength to accept the sacrifice required to protect our identity."
"If our country falters because it is not willing to accept losing its children and to suffer economically because priorities will have to focus on defense production, then we are in danger," warned General Mandon. "But I believe we have strength of spirit. France has always shown strength of spirit in difficult times."
The Chief of Staff reiterated that his mission in the next three or four years is to "demonstrate to our enemies our willingness to defend ourselves, but I need the nation to be willing to support that effort if we had to do it."