According to previously announced plans, as reported by BC News, volunteers will serve for 10 months and receive financial compensation for it.
Macron has repeatedly emphasized in his interviews that recruits will not be sent to combat zones such as Ukraine. "This is absolutely not what it's about," he noted.
According to information provided by an AFP source and cited by the BBC, the initial recruitment is planned to be between two to three thousand volunteers in the first year, with the prospect of increasing this number to 50,000 per year in the future.
It should be noted that until 1997, France had mandatory military conscription. Alternative civilian service was also in effect until 2001, after which the country's armed forces were fully transitioned to a professional basis.
