Macron’s plan is for a month of National service & it appears to be floundering.
On the campaign trail, he said he would bring back “compulsory military service” for French men and women between the ages of 18 and 21, because young people must have “an experience” of “military life”.
However, last month a parliamentary commission including deputies from Macron’s La République En Marche party put forward a completely different set of proposals. Schoolchildren would do a tiny amount of hazily defined civic public service; as young adults, they would be implored, although not forced, to join volunteering groups.
It fell to Macron’s defence minister Florence Parly to insist that the programme would indeed be both military and mandatory. But then the president made his own pronouncement, saying that it would definitely be compulsory. Young people would have to experience some nebulous “exposure” to the military, although they could mainly participate in civic organisations. After that, Macron quite openly said his government wouldn’t decide on the details until later.
The last thing France’s armed forces want is to use their already overstretched money and resources to give young people some ill-defined “experience” and compel the inevitable swathes of the reluctant. They have serious jobs to do on several fronts.
After years of budget cuts, they’re fighting in the Sahel and the Middle East while also patrolling the streets at home. Meanwhile, even according to the Macron’s generous projections, national service would cost 2-3 billion euros a year – on top of a one-off 15-20 billion euro “investment” cost.
So why is Macron so keen on it? His self-proclamation as a “Jupiterian” President is telling. This comparison of himself to the Roman king of gods evinces an ego the size of the planet Jupiter. That explains why Macron made such a grandiosely gimmicky campaign promise and is ploughing on with it despite clear signs that – in all of its suggested manifestations – it is a very bad idea.
https://reaction.life/macrons-plan-bring-back-national-service-baffling/
It is a lousy idea and would be a lousy idea in America as well.
I agree this is a lousy idea. In fact, if I were drafted I’d probably take what we used to call “French Leave.” :-)
For one thing the French, like us are being overrun with foreign nationals who really, really hate us. Why give them military training, let them make contact with other trained diversity folks, and turn them loose back into the nation they despise?
I personally can’t see why we should train people who will certainly try to overthrow us.
One thing I would like to see in our country is a return and reformation of local militias. There is one example of a local militia that few are aware of: The volunteer fire departments in our rural and other outlying areas.
A reformed American militia will be volunteer and strictly loyal American citizens. A local well-regulated militia will answer to the county sheriff who is the chief law enforcement officer of a county. He is duly elected, not appointed by professional politicians, and his power in the county is greater than federal law enforcement.
Indeed, we would be much safer with a loyal well-regulated militia operating everywhere in the land. But we must be very selective about its membership.