A limited form of military service will be re-introduced in France in response to growing fears of a confrontation with Russia, the BBC reports.
More than 25 years after conscription was phased out, the plan will see young men and women volunteering for a paid 10 months of military training.
“The only way to avoid danger is to prepare for it,” President Emmanuel Macron said while announcing the plan at an infantry base near Grenoble in south-east France. “We need to mobilise, mobilising the nation to defend itself, to be ready and remain respected.”
The new “national service” will be brought in gradually from next summer, mainly for 18- and 19-year-olds, who will receive at least €800 a month.
