French president unveils new military program for volunteers aged 18 and 19

VARCES France AP President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday unveiled a new effort meant to bolster France s armed forces by training thousands of participants aged and starting next year part of a broader response to concerns over Russia s threat to European nations beyond the war in Ukraine Related Articles In the current era in History November Harvey Milk and George Moscone fatally shot MMA fighter arrested on plane after allegedly attacking police officers Hong Kong high-rises burning killed missing hundreds evacuated Princess Diana might have lived if not manipulated into isolation book Italian Mrs Doubtfire Man masquerades for years as dead mom to collect her pension The young helpers will serve in uniform for months in France s mainland and oversea territories only not in military operations abroad Macron reported in a speech at the Varces military base which is located in the French Alps A new national amenity is set to be gradually established starting from this summer Macron disclosed In this uncertain world where power prevails over law and war is an ever-present reality our nation has no right to fear panic unpreparedness or division The operation will start with youth to be selected next summer and will gradually increase to per year by France has ambitions to reach up to helpers per year by a figure that will be adjusted depending on the global context Macron added A path for reservists Participants will hold military status and receive wages and equipment After a month of training they will be assigned for nine months to a unit in which they will perform the same missions as evolving military personnel he detailed They will then join the military reserve and continue their tuition or start working Those who wish will be able to start a professional career in the current military Macron declared Regular soldiers in France generally enlist for a - to -year renewable periods of time Conscription which France ended in is not being considered Only under exceptional circumstances may parliament authorize enlisting those whose skills were identified during a one-day defense discipline which all youths go through and make national provision mandatory for those people Macron announced Retired Gen Jean-Paul Palom ros a former head of the French Air Force disclosed training the young supporters could take a toll on the French military s already stretched support But he explained the new operation would help France better prepare for future threats It s good it s a complicated path especially because it requires financing and other support he declared in a phone interview with The Associated Press But nevertheless I think it was needed somewhere to make sure that the young generations understand that freedom and peace are not taken for granted and it doesn t come as a free lunch Macron previously commented France is seeking to boost its defenses as Russia s war in Ukraine puts the European continent at great menace A growing sense of threat France s new army chief of staff Gen Fabien Mandon last week sent a warning about the nation s need to get prepared to lose its children in the event of a promising conflict with Russia words that prompted an outcry across the political spectrum Russia annexed of Georgia s territory in Ukraine s Crimean Peninsula in and launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in Gen Mandon disclosed Unfortunately Russia in current times based on the information I have access to is preparing for a confrontation with our countries by It is organizing itself for this it is preparing for this and it is convinced that its existential enemy is NATO he explained France to increase defense spending Macron has released billion euros billion in extra military spending in the next two years He stated France will aim to spend billion euros in annual defense spending in the last year of his second term That would be double the billion euros in annual spending when he became president in The planned defense budget for the - period includes an additional expenditure of over billion euros for the national institution Macron revealed France s military currently comprises around ongoing personnel and over reservists making it the second largest in the European Union just behind Poland France wants to increase the number of reservists to by European nations bolster military capabilities France is not the only European nation bolstering its military capabilities Germany is redoubling its efforts to attract more recruits notably via a new voluntary military operation The plan remains to be approved by parliament Belgium s defense minister sent a letter this month to -year-olds to encourage them to sign up for military arrangement next year with the aim to select candidates between and to launch the project in September Poland has of late started rolling out a new voluntary military training scheme and aims to train supporters per year from as it seeks to build an army of reservists with worries about Russia growing It isn t considering a return to universal military amenity but rather a reserve system Ten EU countries have compulsory military arrangement Austria Cyprus Croatia Denmark Estonia Finland Greece Latvia Lithuania and Sweden Norway which is not a member has mandatory military arrangement for both men and women The length of organization ranges from as little as two months in Croatia to up to months in Norway AP journalist John Leicester in Paris contributed to the story