Last week, French President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin made a joint statement that greatly pleased French youths of conscription age. The statement said that the need for compulsory military service had disappeared, since France at the present stage is not subject to any external threat.
In accordance with a recently issued government decree, all French youths who have reached the age of 18 are automatically exempt from military service. Those already called up, however, will have to serve a little longer. All conscripts without exception are expected to be demobilized by November 2001.
Thanks to such a radical decision by the French authorities, more than 200 thousand young people are exempted from the obligation to take up arms. According to the military reform plan, their place should be taken by career soldiers and volunteers. By 2002, the Ministry of Defense plans to attract about 92 thousand professional military personnel and 27 thousand young people who have signed short-term contracts with the French command.
The French press writes today that the end of conscription into the army came a year and a half earlier than planned. This became possible largely thanks to an advertising campaign conducted under the auspices of the French military department. This advertising campaign, according to publications in the French press, began three years ago and by now has brought tangible results in the form of a significant increase in the number of volunteers wishing to serve on a contract basis.
Among French military personnel, the decision to abolish conscription caused a mixed reaction. Official representatives of the French Ministry of Defense welcomed the decision of the country's leadership and even rejoiced for the young people who can now calmly continue their studies. However, many representatives of the high command of the French army took the opposite position.
Thus, one of the opponents of the military reform, General Marcel Bigard, spoke on French radio, characterizing the abolition of military conscription in the country as a «sad, nasty and serious phenomenon». At the same time, he made claims against President Chirac, who, in his opinion, should have held a referendum before making such a serious decision. «Six months of military service, side by side with your commanders, with sports activities, remains in your memory for a lifetime», the general said.
Military conscription was introduced in France during the Great French Revolution. It became a universal obligation in 1905, when the practice of conscription by lot among men of conscription age was finally abolished. According to the law adopted in 1905, all male citizens were obliged to perform active military service. Subsequently, a number of amendments were made to the law, according to which the term of service was gradually reduced.