President Emmanuel Macron said he will announce a new military service aimed at boosting French army numbers later this week.
Details are scant, but according to French media, the scheme would be voluntary, remunerated, and last 10 months.
In an interview with local media, he sought to reassure the French people that the plan did not mean young people would be sent to fight in Ukraine.
We really need to, right now, dispel any misconception that we're going to send our young people to Ukraine, he said. That's not at all what this is about.
However, Macron stated the new framework was meant to address the desire for service among the youth - and to face the hybrid confrontation waged by Russia.
If we French want to protect ourselves... we must show that we are not weak in the face of one power that threatens us the most, he added.
No official details on the new military service have yet been shared, though it is expected Macron will elaborate on the proposal during a visit to an army base on Thursday.
French media is reporting that the revamped voluntary military service could last 10 months. Volunteers will be paid between €900 and €1000 per month, according to La Tribune Dimanche.
Conscription in France was scrapped in 1996. The current iteration of the national service, the Service national universel (SNU), only includes a two-week training period followed by community work. It was introduced in 2019 but has never gained substantial traction.
Raphaël Glucksmann from the centre-left Place Publique party supported the proposal but suggested it should be extended to a universal and compulsory service, not necessarily military, to foster national cohesion.
The National Rally (RN)'s Sébastien Chenu endorsed the idea while calling for a mandatory three-month military service for both boys and girls.
Last week, France's army chief-of-staff General Fabien Mandon mentioned that France's biggest weakness is its lack of will to fight, warning of the risks of losing its youth in a potential conflict with Russia.
Macron labeled the current global climate a turning point in history and stressed the need for France and Europe to prepare for future uncertainties in international alliances.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, several European nations, including Germany, Latvia, and Sweden, have revived or enhanced military service requirements to strengthen their forces.
