A debate over the return of national service is intensifying in France, with President Emmanuel Macron’s initiative at the center of the dispute. Against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine and military warnings that the country must be prepared for new threats, the Élysée Palace is preparing to unveil an updated, voluntary model of service. The issue drew sharp attention after a senior general suggested that France might have to “be ready to lose its children.” In response, Macron publicly stressed the core point — this is not about sending young people to the front in Ukraine, but about strengthening the bond between the military and society at home.
On Tuesday morning, November 25, French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized that his proposed new system of voluntary national military service does not involve sending young French citizens to Ukraine. In an interview with RTL radio, he said: “We must, at least for now, dispel any illusion that we are preparing to send our youth to Ukraine. That is not the point at all.”
Macron said that on Thursday he will present a program that is not a form of conscription, set against the threat posed by Russia. The president confirmed he intends to outline “a transformation of universal national service into a new form,” without disclosing further details. He plans to visit a military base in Varces in the country’s southeast, where he will announce “a new framework of service in our armed forces” and respond to “the desire to participate” among young people. “It is absolutely clear that we need to reinforce the alliance between the army and the nation,” he noted on RTL.
His remarks came a few days after an uproar sparked by comments from a senior general who warned that the country must be prepared “to lose its children” against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Chief of Defense Staff General Fabien Mandon told a gathering of mayors that although France has the economic and demographic capacity to prevail over Moscow, society lacks the “spirit” to confront the threat. “If our country falters because it is not ready to accept — let’s be frank — the loss of its children, or economic hardship caused by prioritizing defense production, then we will be exposed,” he added.
The idea of a new national service has been debated in France for months and is unfolding alongside similar discussions in other EU countries, including Germany and Poland. According to media reports, the program will begin on a limited scale — involving between 2,000 and 3,000 participants in its first year — and will then expand, with a long-term goal of reaching 50,000 participants annually. The planned duration of service is 10 months, and volunteers will receive compensation. Military service was mandatory in France for nearly two centuries until President Jacques Chirac abolished it in 1997 in favor of a professional army.