President Emmanuel Macron said he will announce a new military service aimed at boosting French army numbers later this week.
Details are scant, but according to French media the scheme would be voluntary, remunerated and last 10 months.
In an interview with local media he sought to reassure French people that the plan did not mean young people would be sent to fight in Ukraine.
We really need to, right now, dispel any misconception that we're going to send our young people to Ukraine, he said. That's not at all what this is about.
However, Macron stated the new framework was meant to address the desire for service among the youth - and to face the hybrid confrontation waged by Russia.
If we French want to protect ourselves... we must show that we are not weak in the face of one power that threatens us the most, he added.
No official details on the new military service have yet been shared, though it is expected Macron will elaborate on the proposal during a visit to an army base on Thursday.
French media is reporting that the revamped voluntary military service could last 10 months. Volunteers will be paid between €900 (£790) and €1000 (£880) per month, according to La Tribune Dimanche.
Since the scrapping of conscription in 1996, the current iteration of national service, the Service national universel (SNU), has been limited to just two weeks of training followed by community service, introduced in 2019 but with little traction.
Various political leaders have expressed their views on the proposed plan, with some supporting a more universal and compulsory service, while others emphasize the importance of a mandatory military component.
This initiative emerges against a backdrop of increasing military readiness in Europe, as other countries are also reinstating or planning to augment military service in response to geopolitical tensions.
