After Germany, France moves to strengthen Army As Russia-NATO Confrontation Fears Loom Over West

France has unveiled its most dramatic military shift in decades: a new 10-month national service, payments up to €10,000, and an ambition to build a fresh reserve force of 50,000 youth every year. Macron warns Europe is entering an era “where force rules over law,” urging the nation to mobilize before Russia redraws the continent’s future. As Germany retools for mass mobilisation and Europe revives conscription models long thought buried, the question grows louder—are these defensive reforms, or preparations for a far darker scenario unfolding across the decade?