President Emmanuel Macron has announced a new voluntary military service program for 18- and 19-year-olds, set to begin in 2026.
Under the plan, participants will serve for 10 months within mainland France and its overseas territories, with no deployment to foreign military operations.
Macron also revealed âŹ6.5 billion ($7.6 billion) in additional defense spending over the next two years, with France targeting âŹ64 billion in annual defense expenditure by 2027âdouble the âŹ32 billion spent when he took office in 2017.
France currently has around 200,000 active-duty troops and more than 40,000 reservists, making it the EUâs second-largest military after Poland. The government aims to expand the reserve force to 100,000 by 2030.
The announcement comes days after the new chief of army staff, Gen. Fabien Mandon, warned that France must be prepared to âlose its childrenâ in the event of a future conflict.
