The objective of the service is to “promote engagement of young people in the nation’s life, to value citizenship and reinforce social cohesion”.
During the first mandatory phase, teenagers will live collectively, ‘enabling them to create new relationships and to develop their cultural engagement as well as their role in society’, the government announced.
The second voluntary phase will last at least three months and up to a year. Young French people will be encouraged to serve “in an area linked to defence and security, as well as the environment, heritage preservation or social care,” the French education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer told the press on Wednesday.
National service is expected to be implemented progressively starting in 2019.
Last year we reported that Sweden had announced the reintroduction of compulsory military service, as part of aims to rebuild national defences amid rising tensions in the region.
Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist told a news conference said:
“I hope that we are going to find a path to a more stable, robust and functional means of recruitment.”
The new policy will affect Swedes born after 1999, according to a report by a former member of parliament for the defence ministry. Around 4,000 young Swedes are expected to be called up. The new model will be a lighter version of Sweden’s former conscription system. This time only a few thousand people from each year group will be drafted into compulsory service. People will still, as is the current system, be able to volunteer for military service.
Something this country should have done a long time ago
Did you do mandatory military service?
lol
I’m sure France’s ISIS loving population will embrace the chance to get military training and access to firearms and explosives. How long before they suffer a Fort Hood type attack ?
Twat.
Concise
if they did it in the u.k, it might signal the end of the ‘hoodie’
Or wreck the armed forces ?
Yeah right. France has the highest gun ownership per head of population in the EU and is ranked 8th in the world. The UK is ranked 82nd.
Still low compared to the US though.
Do British courts still offer military service to people instead of jail time?
no, its no longer on the statute.
Really? The US got rid of it in the 90s draw down. But never removed the power from the DOD to reimpose it in War time.
Sorry but the headline to this article is misleading, the ‘Service National Universel’ applies to 16 year olds in France starting in 2019. This will represent one month working either in charities, or teaching or with the Police, Fire Service or Military etc. There is a voluntary follow on period for those who wish to continue their involvement. This is definitely not a National Service (conscription) in the UK understanding of the term.
indeed, as far as France goes, the headline is definitely a misnomer.
Sounds like a reasonable idea to me,would like to see in the future if it was successful.
it might help crewing problems in the R.N
France can do all they like- why not get a standing army of 4.5 million men through conscription and national service while they are at it? oh wait they did that before……….and still got beaten. Tee Hee just jesting, could not resist the poke at the French.
Idiot
Seems like it’s got some potential to get young people from different cultures mixing, far too much self segregation along religious and racial lines going on all over Europe which is very unhealthy for all of us.
Yet also very natural, we don’t live in some airy fairy dream world, this is why European countries should not be swamped with Africans and Asians. We in Britain are already over 20% non White British, and still letting more in. Do you see China, Korea, Turkey, Pakistan, Japan, etc. doing this? A few and no one would have been bothered but it has went too far, we have to draw the line somewhere. What are we going to do just keep letting more in until we are outnumbered in our own country?
Perhaps we should throw everyone out that does not directly descend from pure old world Celts? After all everyone else is technically foreign…
Even the celts migrated in
Oh, shut up with your “IT’S MYYYY COUNTRY!” If they contribute, who cares?
@Evan P
Absolutely.
Where you come from is irrelevant, it’s who you are that counts.
best Tim
sounds a bit too P.C for me the thought police shouldn’t be allowed near the forces
just kids.
A former senior general said something like, “National Service may have been great for the country, but it damn near ruined the army.”
How so? I have never understood this divisiveness of conscript and reserve/guard armies. When every major Military and most of the minor ones in WWI and WWII engaged in the practice. Fully professional armies look good on paper but often prove themselves incapable of sustained operations in wartime.
As long as you have a backbone of professional NCOs and Officers their is very little difference in performance. Issues of training and discipline only begin to occur when you deprive those types of Armies of their experienced cadres of senior NCOs and Officers.
That should be derisiveness.
Living in France I have to say that the country is less segregated in the smaller towns and cities than in the UK. I lived in Oldham and Rochdale and they compare badly to similar places in France. That’s not to say there is not significant segregation in French cities, there is,and it is a problem.
That’s still what, 13 million people? I think we’re fine.
Well that’s not bad if you considered the demographic spread, a good portion of people in britian will be:
1) children
2) Mums
3) a bit old and crumbly
So actually 20% is good.
In my personal view everyone should be given the opportunity to support our society, this should include anyone of working age who is not employed elsewhere.
So much for FREEDOM.