PARIS (Realist English). President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday unveiled a new national voluntary military service, announcing that France will begin training young recruits from the summer of 2026 as part of a broader effort to strengthen the country’s defence capabilities.
Addressing the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade near the Alps, Macron said France needs a new force of 18- to 19-year-old volunteers serving on national territory to confront “growing threats.” The initiative, he said, will help build “a revitalised, complete, effective and modernised army, capable of dealing with risks in all areas.”
The programme, first hinted at in Macron’s July 13 address to the armed forces, is designed to address what he called structural “vulnerabilities” in the French military. Applications will open in January, with candidates selected according to motivation and operational needs. Parliament could authorise additional mobilisation in the event of a major crisis.
Recruits will undergo one month of basic weapons training before joining military units for nine months, performing duties similar to active-duty personnel. The new corps — intended to complement France’s professional troops and reservists as part of a future “hybrid army” — will begin with 3,000 volunteers in 2026, rising to 10,000 by 2030 and reaching 50,000 by 2035. The programme will be financed through an amended military planning law, with €2 billion allocated.
As debate over the 2026 state budget remains stalled, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said Monday he would ask Parliament to approve measures to “reinforce” the armed forces.
France abolished mandatory conscription in 1997 under President Jacques Chirac. Macron said reinstating compulsory service would not meet the army’s current operational needs, making a voluntary model better suited for the security environment France faces today.