"France will introduce a voluntary military service of 10 months beginning next summer, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, in the face of what he called a growing threat posed by Russia. The announcement comes more than three-and-a-half years into Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with Macron and other French officials warning that Moscow risks not stopping at Ukraine's borders."
""A new national service will be introduced, gradually starting next summer," he said during a speech to troops in Varces-Allieres-et-Risset in southeastern France, almost three decades after France scrapped conscription. But he said volunteers, mostly aged 18 to 19, would be deployed "only on national soil". "In the event of a major crisis, parliament may authorise calling upon individuals beyond just volunteers," Macron added, and military "service would become mandatory.""
President Emmanuel Macron announced a voluntary 10-month national service beginning next summer to address a growing threat from Russia. The program targets mainly 18-to-19-year-olds and restricts deployment to national territory, with parliament able to make service mandatory only during a major crisis. The rollout starts with 3,000 volunteers next summer, rising to 10,000 by 2030 and 50,000 by 2035. The initiative is inspired by other European models such as Norway and marks a partial return to structured youth service nearly three decades after the end of conscription.
Read at The Local France
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