Overview
- The Ministry of the Armed Forces says applications are open in the Navy and the Air and Space Force, with the Army opening on January 12, and candidates will receive decisions by July 1, 2026.
- Replacing the SNU, the service lasts ten months—one month of common training followed by nine months in units—with incorporations scheduled from September to November 2026 and 3,000 posts in the first intake, including 1,800 in the Army.
- Press access at Orange air base showed non-mixed five-bed dorms, a 6 a.m. wake-up, first-day haircuts, phones removed during training, communal facilities, and beds made to strict standards.
- The first month covers drill, uniform, weapons handling, close-quarters combat and shooting, then volunteers are assigned across more than 30 trades on 27 air bases, paid €800 a month for duties from Sentinelle patrols to support roles with mechanics, armourers and pilots.
- The Air and Space Force reports about 200 applications so far and plans to train roughly 600 volunteers in year one at Orange and Évreux, with Orange expecting its first cohort in September 2026.