It is expected that this service will attract 3,000 young people.
E. Macron presented a new voluntary military service program.
Here is what is currently known about it.
The new program will allow interested French citizens to voluntarily familiarize themselves with military activities and undergo training for a career in the armed forces over a period of 10 months.
The first month of training will include instruction for young recruits, after which they will be assigned to military units for nine months (only within France).
Applications will open in January 2026. The main participants in the program will be young French people aged 18 to 19.
Participants in the program will receive a salary of 950 euros per month.
It will start gradually, with 2–3 thousand people in the first year, followed by a gradual increase in subsequent years. The Élysée Palace described the project as "realistic," aimed at giving young people "a choice in serving."
It is expected that this voluntary military service will attract 3,000 young people by 2026, reach the initial target of 10,000 by 2030, and then 50,000 volunteers per year by 2035. This represents 6% of the target age group. Ultimately, the president mentioned his ambitious goal of attracting 80,000 young people to this program annually.
Through the reform of the volunteer army, E. Macron hopes to approach his stated goal of having 100,000 people in reserve by 2030. Currently, there are only 45,000.
