Maxime Asseo 6:30 a.m., February 24, 2024

The war in Ukraine is now entering its third year and raises the question of a return to compulsory military service in several European countries, including France.

Useless and outdated for some, essential and urgent for others, the subject is debated.

Two years since Russian tanks were launched into Ukraine.

Two years since the war has been bogged down at the gates of a Europe worried about seeing it spill beyond its borders.

Feeling threatened, some countries, such as Latvia, are backtracking and reintroducing compulsory military service.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is in favor of it and 66% of French people regret its removal.

This is 7 points more than in 2006 (Ifop, 2023).

So should we reintroduce compulsory military service on the national territory?

Europe 1 opens the debate.

Outmoded and nostalgic

“To think that we would see Russian tanks rolling onto the Rhine border is pure science fiction. We are not about to see trench warfare again.”

For the general and director of the Revue Défense Nationale Jérôme Pellistrandi, the answer is clear: reintroducing compulsory military service is counterproductive.

His argument?

Nuclear deterrence.

A major element of our defense according to him, coupled with the geographical aspect: "The war with Germany is over. Unlike Ukraine, we will not be attacked tomorrow by a threatening neighbor and obliged to send thousands of "men at the front", assures Jean-Dominique Merchet, journalist at Opinion and author of "Are we ready for war?".

For him, the context is radically different.

Gone are the mass armies, the Cold War, when the Soviet army was “extremely powerful and capable of crossing borders”.

“Today the Russian army is in the depths of Ukraine,” analyzes the journalist, while describing supporters of military service as “outmoded and nostalgic.”

Return to the days of the Cold War

A posture almost assumed by the general and former director of the war school Vincent Desportes.

By taking up the famous maxim "a people who forget their past are condemned to reliving it", he considers that history tirelessly repeats itself.

“Since 1917, Russia has been a totalitarian power. It sees itself as an empire that must grow.”

Today its threats are “coming true day by day” while the United States tends to “move away from us”.

READ ALSO

- Armed Forces: towards a new military service of three to six months?

Despite nuclear deterrence, the return of compulsory military service is “indispensable”.

One being “inseparable from the other”, as in the days of the Cold War when threats justified a real deterrence strategy.

"Before 1989, conscription allowed France to send its sons to fight in case of danger and show our desire to defend the country. After a certain number of soldiers were killed, nuclear fire was considered. There was a real theoretical link between the commitment of the contingent and the justification of nuclear fire.

For Vincent Desportes, with the current existential threats, "similar to those of the Cold War", we must return to this complementarity of conscription - deterrence "to make Vladimir Putin understand that he must not seek to continue his war beyond of the borders of Ukraine.

“The goal is not to make war, but to ensure that it does not happen.”

What about youth?

In fact, are young people ready to put on the uniform?

Nothing is less sure.

85% of those aged 65 and over regret compulsory military service compared to 27% of those aged 18-24 (Ifop, 2023).

If young people are generally reluctant to return to conscription, "it will be difficult to impose it in a democracy like ours", judges Jérôme Pellistrandi. Vincent Desportes recognizes the unpopularity of such a measure, which nevertheless must be imposed according to him: "Our leaders must be courageous, go beyond moods and think about the good of the population by explaining that freedom and our model of democracy is threatened."

READ ALSO

- Sweden, Greece, Austria... Which European countries still have compulsory military service?

In addition to consent, around 700,000 young people - men and women - would be affected by military service each year.

“What do we make them do? Where to house them? How to arm them? Who supervises them? It makes no sense!”, assures Jean-Dominique Merchet.

“The cost is disproportionate to the operational interest,” adds Jérôme Pellistrandi.

Hence the importance of “reviewing our priorities” in favor of a specific budget for military service, “financed by taxes”, defends Vincent Desportes: “Either you pay now with money, or later of your freedoms.

If there is a budgetary effort, it must above all serve the development of industrial arms capacities: "We must be able to produce shells", insists Jean-Dominique Merchet, but also strengthen the organization of the nation.

“Think about supplying large cities, about the fight against disinformation rather than military service,” adds Jérôme Pellistrandi.

Promote the reserve

Without denying the importance of the army, Jean-Dominique Merchet is also banking on the massive development of reserves - part-time soldiers - to swell the ranks lacking manpower, which requires a profound reform of the institution.

“We must develop more flexible and attractive formulas for young people without returning to the obligatory. A form of alternation between university and the army for example, defends the journalist, it is not up to young people to adapt to the needs of staffs but it is up to them to adapt to society".

The operational reserve is also one of the priorities of Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu.

He tweeted in July 2023: “one reservist for every two active soldiers by 2035”.