Could France also enlist in the event of war?

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1,000 and two nights in the war. On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded its Ukrainian neighbor with gleaming fighter planes, backfiring tanks and a prepared professional army. Opposite, in an emergency, the nation of Volodymyr Zelensky organized the response with brand new American and European resources.

Nearly three years later, it is the wear and tear and the horror of the conflict that dominate minds. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians died, more than six million went into exile. The conflict has reduced the country's population by a quarter. And the toll of military losses remains unknown.

No matter, the volunteers are no longer enough to supply the front with men. For several months, the yellow and blue nation has forced citizens to embrace the army uniform, to the point of forcibly enlisting civilians, as shown in several videos, like here on BFM. In France, in a war situation, could the State also enlist us?

To arms, (all) citizens?

In the event of an armed conflict in which France would be involved, the State could give the order to part of its population to join the army. “In practice, the power in place could repeal the law suspending national service,” explains Annie Crépin, historian, specialist in military history and honorary lecturer at the University of Artois, has actu.fr. This law of October 28, 1997desired by Jacques Chirac, announced the end of compulsory military service.

General mobilization no longer exists. But with this repeal, France (which, like Ukraine, could not rely on its professional army to wage the war) would consider counting on citizens. “After having exhausted all the volunteers and reservists, the State would be ordered to draw on the population. »

Who would be affected? Age, gender and other conditions would still be defined. Could the most vulnerable find themselves on the front lines? Women? If we rely on the conditions of access to voluntary military service (SMV), all young French people, from the age of 18, it is written on the government website, could be enlisted in the army. And this, up to 35 years old.

“People considered not in good enough shape, the elderly and other cases would undoubtedly be discharged,” nevertheless tempers Annie Crépin. In other words, if you are an adult, you have the thirty or lesswhich you do not present no comorbidityyou could end up with a weapon in your hand.

Phew, a (small) army exists

Another parameter to take into account, before sending you to the front, like Candide against the Bulgarians: the France has a regular army. These are the operational forces which will be mobilized first, in the event of war on the territory.

That is to say, as recalled in a parliamentary report on the 2022 Defense budget, 77,000 men from the army, 34,000 from the navy et 40,000 of the Air and Space Force. Professional troops, with around 5,000 reservists as reinforcements.

In addition to these loans, in total, the French army, all arms, all trades combined, included 269,055 full-time equivalents. Three-quarters of these full-time jobs (76.5%) are occupied by military personnel, the others by civilians serving the army.

On the material side, France has, according to the latest available figures, 222 Leclerc tanks, 6,200 wheeled armored vehicles and approximately 3,800 other combat vehicles. With this, 211 combat aircraft, 45 fighter planes and ae fifty surveillance planes, without forgetting the nine submarines and an aircraft carrier. In short, France has, in theory, what it needs to defend itself in the event of a conflict.

However, for how long? In the long term, would this professional army be enough to hold the fronts, attack the enemy, or still defend the population ? “The French army is an American army in bonsai version”, recalled on France InfoJean-Dominique Merchet, journalist, specialist in military and strategic issues.

Who knows how to reload a FAMAS?

Since the suspension of military service in 1997, no one is trained anymore to the handling of weapons, nor to what a war really is. With all its horror, coldness and cynicism. Sending a citizen to the front line, the rifle flower, would be considered heresy.

“It’s a real problem, if it comes to that”continues the historian, before adding: “The First World War was won with the reservists. »

Before drawing from civilians, there is in fact a military reserve made up of two components. A citizen defense and security reserve (volunteers approved by the army because of their skills and experience) and a operational reserve.

In short, reservists with or without military experience, aged from 17 to 35 years oldwho committed themselves on a voluntary basis to relieve the armies approximately 25 days per year on averageindicates the Ministry of the Armed Forces.

In total, nearly 140,000 people can theoretically be mobilized, including 40,000 volunteers from the operational reserve, we can read from the pen of Jean de Monicault in the National Defense Reviewpublished in 2021. That's a lot of people, before asking the bakers, plumbers and bankers of France to take up arms. But the figures seem ridiculous compared to 4.5 million French people called up for service in 1939 during the Second World War.

Obviously, these scenarios seem improbable. France, with 31 other countriesis a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). L'article 5 of this organization stipulates that if a country is the victim of an armed attack, each member of the Alliance will consider this act of violence as an attack directed against all the members, we can read on its site.

The scenario could become possible the day France, for political reasons, would be left without NATOisolated from the rest of the world.

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