Some 5,000 young people aged 18 to 25 have submitted an application to join the 10-month national service launched by Emmanuel Macron at the start of the school year, for 3,000 open places, the armies announced on Thursday May 28.
“Nearly 1,000 candidates have already been selected and more than 4,000 files are being compiled or studied” in mid-May, Commissioner General Thierry de La Burgade, director of the national service project at the Ministry of the Armed Forces, told the press. More than 20% of candidates are women, a proportion higher than the rate of feminization in the armed forces, currently 17%.
“These results clearly attest to the desire for commitment of our youth,” according to the general commissioner of La Burgade. Interested young people can apply “almost until the end of the summer” to join between September and November exclusively in mainland France or overseas.
Gradual ramp-up until 2035
Young people who are students “will be able to benefit from a right to a gap year, thus allowing them to integrate national service into a student career without interruption,” he recalled. In 2026, the armies plan to enlist 3,000 (1,800 in the Army, 600 in the Air and Space Army and 600 in the Navy), then 4,000 in 2027, 10,000 in 2030 with an ambition of 42,500 in 2035.
Integrated into the units after a month of basic training, the conscripts will be selected according to their medical aptitude, their motivation and their suitability to the needs of the armies. They will be paid around €800 gross monthly and housed during the ten months of service.
