French President Emmanuel Macron will announce a new national military service plan today as the country seeks to strengthen its armed forces in response to the growing threat to Europe from Russia, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
The president's office said Macron would emphasize "the need for the country to prepare for growing threats" during his visit to the Vars military base in the Alps.
Earlier this year, Macron announced his intention to provide French youth with new opportunities for voluntary military service. He specified that compulsory military service, which was abolished in 1996, is not envisaged.
The president noted that strengthening defense is necessary in the context of the war in Ukraine, which poses a "great risk" to the European continent.
France will increase its military spending by an additional 6.5 billion euros over the next two years. Macron said the goal is to spend 64 billion euros a year on defense by 2027 - the last year of his second term, which is double the 32 billion euros in 2017, when he became president.
The French army has about 200,000 active duty soldiers and more than 40,000 reservists, making it the second largest in Europe after the Polish army. Paris plans to increase the number of reservists to 100,000 by 2030.
Macron stressed that volunteers in the national military service would not be sent to the front line. "We must immediately dispel any confusion that we are sending our young people to Ukraine. That is not the case at all," he said.
France is not the only European country to step up its military training. Germany is doubling down on its efforts to recruit soldiers through a new voluntary military service, with the plan set to be approved by parliament.
Belgium's defense minister has sent letters to 17-year-olds to encourage them to sign up for military service next year, with the aim of selecting 500 candidates between the ages of 18 and 25 to start the program in September.
Poland has launched a new voluntary military training program, planning to train 100,000 volunteers a year from 2027, with the ambition of expanding its army of reservists.
Ten EU countries currently have compulsory military service: Austria, Cyprus, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden. Non-EU member Norway also has compulsory service for men and women.