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President Emmanuel Macron has announced a new voluntary military service plan to boost the numbers of the French army. The plan is said to offer a 10-month programme where participants will be remunerated, aiming to address security concerns amid tensions with Russia. In discussing the proposal, Macron assured it does not involve sending young people to fight in Ukraine.

 

This initiative emerges as France seeks to strengthen its defence capabilities following the abolishment of conscription in 1996. The current national service, the Service National Universe, introduced in 2019, involves limited training and community work but has not gained widespread participation. Macron's upcoming visit to an army base this Thursday is expected to provide further details on this military service proposal, aiming to respond to young people's "desire to serve."

 

Reactions have varied, with support from politicians such as Raphaël Glucksmann, who suggests expanding it to a universal service for social cohesion purposes. Sébastien Chenu of the National Rally advocates for a mandatory three-month initial military training, which has the potential for extension. This debate echoes broader European trends, where several countries are reinstating military service to fortify defence amid increasing threats, following examples from Germany, Latvia, Sweden, and Lithuania, according to the BBC.

 

Looking ahead, Macron's plan could reshape France's military engagement strategy, as concerns about European security persist. The announcement underlines a wider European movement towards renewed military readiness, reflecting changing geopolitical dynamics. Macron's dedication to strengthening national defence aligns with wider European initiatives aimed at preparing for potential instability.

 

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Macron's plan introduces a voluntary 10-month military service for young French citizens.
• The initiative arises as France seeks to bolster its defence amidst Russian tensions.
• The proposal aligns with European trends of reinstating military service.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC 2025-11-26

 

 

 

I bet they'll be queuing up. 😄

 

Make sure DEI quotas are met. 

 

 

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

I bet they'll be queuing up. 😄

 

Make sure DEI quotas are met. 

 

 

It remains to be seen whether this initiative meets its targets but what exactly are your objections to this plan?

 

Given Russia's recent behaviour, don't you think that Western European countries should build up their defence forces? What alternative initiatives would you suggest?

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

I bet they'll be queuing up. 😄

Make sure DEI quotas are met. 

 

Is there a prize at Asean Now for offering the most racist and bigoted comment of the day?  The French military has done a decent job of social integration and producing responsible French citizens. It offers everyone an opportunity for skill acquisition and education. For a person who comes from a disadvantaged background, it is a good step up to success, and greater employment prospects than someone who does not understand the basics of team work, and respect for others.  The people you ridicule are those who often benefit the most from military service.  

 

And considering the fact that you have previously  stated that Europeans should defend themselves,  you should be applauding the French  initiative rather than ridiculing it.

I had a surplus French military rifle a few years back. Beautiful shape, never fired and only dropped once.

23 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

It offers everyone an opportunity for skill acquisition and education.

 

It also offers the opportunity to die in a war started by politicians that care nothing about you while being paid a pittance. Talk to some Iraq veterans about this opportunity to fight for Blair's lies about WMD. 

 

Are you suggesting such an opportunity should not be made equally available to all? 

19 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

I had a surplus French military rifle a few years back. Beautiful shape, never fired and only dropped once.

 

Why do French tanks have rear view mirrors?

 

To see the battle. 😄

3 hours ago, JonnyF said:

I bet they'll be queuing up. 😄

 

Make sure DEI quotas are met. 

 

 

Ever served have you Jonny? Or is it just todays  "Petite plaisanterie du jour"?

8 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Why do French tanks have rear view mirrors?

 

To see the battle. 😄

What's the hardest part of French military training?

 

There are two;

 

1. Learning how to march with both hands raised.

2. Learning how to say "I surrender" in 14 languages. 

 

 

Why were so many trees planted in Paris?

 

So the German Army could march in the shade.

8 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

What's the hardest part of French military training?

 

There are two;

 

1. Learning how to march with both hands raised.

2. Learning how to say "I surrender" in 14 languages. 

 

 

Why were so many trees planted in Paris?

 

So the German Army could march in the shade.

Beat me!

2 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

Beat me!

Excellent suggestion............

7 minutes ago, transam said:

Excellent suggestion............

You arent man enough, troll.

Voluntary, not conscription. Trained and paid a decent wage. As long as they are assured of no overseas service, it's a sound plan. 

45 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

It also offers the opportunity to die in a war started by politicians that care nothing about you while being paid a pittance. Talk to some Iraq veterans about this opportunity to fight for Blair's lies about WMD. 

 

Are you suggesting such an opportunity should not be made equally available to all? 

 

What utter nonsense.

 

So because Blair lied about WMDs, no war can ever be called just? Because members of the armed forces may not be paid what they deserve, we should do what? Disband the Army, Navy and Air Force?

 

I don't know what are the prerequisites for joining this French scheme or the Armed Forces in France (or the UK for that matter) but - assuming these prerequisites are met -  then, yes, the opportunity to serve should be made equally available to all.

40 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

What's the hardest part of French military training?

 

There are two;

 

1. Learning how to march with both hands raised.

2. Learning how to say "I surrender" in 14 languages. 

 

 

Why were so many trees planted in Paris?

 

So the German Army could march in the shade.

 

The French military acquitted itself bravely throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Napoleon didn't achieve his victories with cowards. And even during the first half of World War I the French were massacred in enormous numbers on the Western Front. Then, something broke in 1917. Almost half of the French divisions on the Western Front mutinied refusing to "go over the top" or return to their trenches. Large numbers of collective mutinies occurred in at least 60 out of 110 French divisions. I don't think the country has ever recovered. Neither has Europe, more generally. Millions of the best and most capable were just chopped up by machine guns and artillery. It's after that that the French began to acquire the stereotype of the puffed up rooster that fled when danger intruded. Now, they've got the country made by the residue of those who didn't get slaughtered.

26 minutes ago, Yagoda said:

You arent man enough, troll.

🤣..............You're a tough guy too, is that a Cambodia entry requirement...............🤣

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

Why do French tanks have rear view mirrors?

To see the battle. 😄

 

One of the great lies first started by nazi propagandists and repeated by ignorant stupid people.

In WWI the French sustained the highest number of losses of all allied troops both in number and as a % of the population. It lost an estimated 1.15 million in combat and took 4.26 million non fatal casualties.  It lost almost 4.4% of its population in the war. The war had put France into near starvation and destroyed its economy. 

 

In WWII the French sustained 210,000 in combat and took 390,000 casualties. In comparison, The USA suffered 250,000 combat deaths in Europe.  The French surrender in WWII  while deplorable,  was understandable if one considers that the country was still suffering from the losses it had incurred 20 years earlier in WWI. The country could not take another prolonged war on its own.  By 1936, France was still only just recovering. When the surrender came, the BEF had collapsed and Europe was over run by the German military, which like Putin today, had built up a massive well supplied military.  

 

The French government and many others in Europe have learnt from the past mistake of appeasement. It seems that you would rather engage in profiteering and surrender to the expansionist Russians.

 

If the three other large EU countries had similar armies and weapons, Europe's military position would not be as bad as it is. 🙂

6 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 

One of the great lies first started by nazi propagandists and repeated by ignorant stupid people.

In WWI the French sustained the highest number of losses of all allied troops both in number and as a % of the population. It lost an estimated 1.15 million in combat and took 4.26 million non fatal casualties.  It lost almost 4.4% of its population in the war. The war had put France into near starvation and destroyed its economy. 

 

In WWII the French sustained 210,000 in combat and took 390,000 casualties. In comparison, The USA suffered 250,000 combat deaths in Europe.  The French surrender in WWII  while deplorable,  was understandable if one considers that the country was still suffering from the losses it had incurred 20 years earlier in WWI. The country could not take another prolonged war on its own.  By 1936, France was still only just recovering. When the surrender came, the BEF had collapsed and Europe was over run by the German military, which like Putin today, had built up a massive well supplied military.  

 

The French government and many others in Europe have learnt from the past mistake of appeasement. It seems that you would rather engage in profiteering and surrender to the expansionist Russians.

 

The French were poorly led, poorly trained, and overall not terribly effective in combat. The still believed that "elan" would win over technology. Ironically, that strategy was reversed 180 degrees in WW2, when the French chose to cower behind the Maginot Line and wait for the Germans to come at them.

 

But the seeds were sown even before that, in the disastrous 1870 war with Germany. To me, that is the starting point of the decline in French military prowess. 

14 minutes ago, RayC said:

So because Blair lied about WMDs, no war can ever be called just? Because members of the armed forces may not be paid what they deserve, we should do what? Disband the Army, Navy and Air Force?

 

Strawman. Israel's war following October 7 for example is totally just.

 

14 minutes ago, RayC said:

 

I don't know what are the prerequisites for joining this French scheme or the Armed Forces in France (or the UK for that matter) but - assuming these prerequisites are met -  then, yes, the opportunity to serve should be made equally available to all.

 

I'd go further. They should ensure that there are proportional numbers of each Demographic enlisted. 

20 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 

One of the great lies first started by nazi propagandists and repeated by ignorant stupid people.

In WWI the French sustained the highest number of losses of all allied troops both in number and as a % of the population. It lost an estimated 1.15 million in combat and took 4.26 million non fatal casualties.  It lost almost 4.4% of its population in the war. The war had put France into near starvation and destroyed its economy. 

 

In WWII the French sustained 210,000 in combat and took 390,000 casualties. In comparison, The USA suffered 250,000 combat deaths in Europe.  The French surrender in WWII  while deplorable,  was understandable if one considers that the country was still suffering from the losses it had incurred 20 years earlier in WWI. The country could not take another prolonged war on its own.  By 1936, France was still only just recovering. When the surrender came, the BEF had collapsed and Europe was over run by the German military, which like Putin today, had built up a massive well supplied military.  

 

The French government and many others in Europe have learnt from the past mistake of appeasement. It seems that you would rather engage in profiteering and surrender to the expansionist Russians.

 

 

"......repeated by ignorant stupid people."

 

It is one of the core identifiers of the SET (Standard English Thicko)

 

 

 

 

 

 

29 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

 

One of the great lies first started by nazi propagandists and repeated by ignorant stupid people.

In WWI the French sustained the highest number of losses of all allied troops both in number and as a % of the population. It lost an estimated 1.15 million in combat and took 4.26 million non fatal casualties.  It lost almost 4.4% of its population in the war. The war had put France into near starvation and destroyed its economy. 

 

In WWII the French sustained 210,000 in combat and took 390,000 casualties. In comparison, The USA suffered 250,000 combat deaths in Europe.  The French surrender in WWII  while deplorable,  was understandable if one considers that the country was still suffering from the losses it had incurred 20 years earlier in WWI. The country could not take another prolonged war on its own.  By 1936, France was still only just recovering. When the surrender came, the BEF had collapsed and Europe was over run by the German military, which like Putin today, had built up a massive well supplied military.  

 

The French government and many others in Europe have learnt from the past mistake of appeasement. It seems that you would rather engage in profiteering and surrender to the expansionist Russians.

 

 

I see you dislike jokes. So here is one more for you.

 

Why do French ships have glass bottoms? So they can see the rest of their fleet. 😄 

 

Badoomtssshhhhhh

1 hour ago, JAG said:

Ever served have you Jonny? Or is it just todays  "Petite plaisanterie du jour"?

 

It's classified JAG.

3 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

I see you dislike jokes. So here is one more for you.

 

Why do French ships have glass bottoms? So they can see the rest of their fleet. 😄 

 

Badoomtssshhhhhh

I heard it this way;

 

"Why do the ships of the new French Navy have glass bottoms?"

 

"So that they can steer clear of the old French Navy."

1 hour ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Voluntary, not conscription. Trained and paid a decent wage. As long as they are assured of no overseas service, it's a sound plan. 

 

... for €900 to €1,000 per month, you too can volunteer to go kill Ruskies on the Ukrainian Front.  Heck - you can get rich on that much 'eh.  And Ukraine is not officially "overseas."  

The xenophobes are totally engaged today.

 

I wonder who's next for the 'just a bit of fun' treatment? The Poles? The Italians? The Irish were always used to be the 'go to' destination but Irish jokes now seen to be passe.

10 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

I heard it this way;

 

"Why do the ships of the new French Navy have glass bottoms?"

 

"So that they can steer clear of the old French Navy."

 

I had a German friend visit Paris.

 

The immigration officer had a few questions.

 

Name? Friedrich.

Age? 42

Occupation? No, no, no. Just visiting. 

 

😄

29 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

Strawman. Israel's war following October 7 for example is totally just.

 

When all else fails, play the Strawman card. 

 

Pray tell, Jonny, what Blair's lies about WMD has to do with a French scheme to introduce a form of voluntary national service?

 

29 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

I'd go further. They should ensure that there are proportional numbers of each Demographic enlisted. 

 

And what if these proportions can't be met? This scheme is voluntary. Ah well, back to the drawing board, eh?

22 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

It's classified JAG.

I thought not then, just a keyboard warrior who likes to gob off about it!

 

Used to call them "Walts" as in "Walter Mittys!

2 minutes ago, JAG said:

I thought not then, just a keyboard warrior who likes to gob off about it!

 

Used to call them "Walts" as in "Walter Mittys!

 

I'm not really the type to talk about it but feel free to get a barstool in Pattaya and bore the pants off everyone.