As European countries consider it likely that NATO could enter a war with Russia by 2030, France announced the return of a 10-month voluntary military service for men and women at the Vars military base in the French Alps, after 1997, when it was abolished by Jean Chirac.
“We need mobilization: mobilization of the nation to defend itself,” Macron stated.
This voluntary military program is a clearly milder approach compared with the strengthening of military presence found in many Scandinavian and Baltic countries, where service is compulsory. Latvia and Croatia are the two most recent European Union countries that reinstated compulsory service.
The French army is already the second largest in the EU after Poland, with more than 201,000 personnel.
The left has called for its reinstatement in order to strengthen social cohesion and diversity, given that young people from different backgrounds are called upon to work together in their units. The nostalgic right, on the other hand, considers military service a means of cultivating patriotism and respect for authority among young people.
The French army is already the second largest in the EU after Poland, with more than 201,000 personnel.
At the same time, Europe is planning how to counterattack in a series of incidents such as flights of Russian drones over European territory, also considering cyberattacks against Russia.
Sources: Politico [1], [2]
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