France to Reintroduce Voluntary Military Service as Security Threats Mount

French soldiers serving at the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence battlegroup. Nearly three decades after scrapping conscription, France is reintroducing national military service.

France is preparing to revive national military service on a voluntary basis, nearly 30 years after abolishing conscription, as concerns grow over Russia’s aggression and the risk of a wider conflict in Europe.

President Emmanuel Macron is expected to unveil the plan today during a visit to an infantry brigade in the Alps. The announcement comes more than three and a half years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a war French officials warn could spill beyond Ukraine’s borders.

According to a presidential official, the revamped scheme will initially train 2,000–3,000 volunteers in its first year, with the goal of scaling up to around 50,000 participants annually. The programme is expected to take the form of a 10-month stint open to both men and women.

President Emmanuel Macron during a press conference in Paris earlier this month. He is set to lay out plans today during a visit to a military base in the Alps.

Macron described the reform as a «transformation of national service into a new form,» though he has not yet disclosed full details. Advisers say the initiative will be rolled out gradually due to tight budget constraints, stressing that it must remain «realistic» and aligned with available resources.

The move follows alarming remarks from France’s armed forces chief of staff, General Fabien Mandon, who last week warned the country must be ready «to lose its children,» adding that Russia is preparing for possible confrontation with European nations by 2030. His comments triggered widespread controversy, prompting the government to reassure the public that France is not preparing to send young people into combat in Ukraine.

France’s shift places it among a growing number of European nations reassessing military preparedness. Several countries, including Latvia, Lithuania and Denmark, have reinstated or strengthened forms of conscription in response to heightened tensions with Moscow. Germany is currently debating fitness tests for all 18-year-old men, while Italy is considering the return of short-term service.

France’s armed forces currently count around 200,000 active personnel and 47,000 reservists, figures expected to rise to 210,000 and 80,000 respectively by 2030. Officials say the new voluntary service aims both to bolster military manpower and expand the pool of reservists who could be called upon in a future crisis.

Despite political sensitivities, the Élysée insists the initiative reflects growing interest among French youth and the need to strengthen national defence amid what Macron has called an «acceleration of perils.»