HIBAPRESS
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday the launch of a voluntary military service targeting young people between 18 and 19 years old starting next year, within a program that extends for ten months and aims to enhance France's defense capabilities in light of escalating threats.
In a speech delivered at the military base of La Fare in the Alps, Macron clarified that "the new national service will gradually begin starting next summer," confirming that volunteers will serve within French territory, whether in mainland France or in overseas territories, without participating in any external operations. He also stressed that the state is not considering the reintroduction of the compulsory conscription system abolished since 1996.
