Terrorist Threat: France Wants to Introduce Mandatory Military Training

These days France is under the threat of terrorism. The Democratic Movement Party (MoDem) offers compulsory six-month service program, during which young people will be taught the rules of fisrt aid, methods of surveillence and security. Frédérique Lefebvre, Republican Deputy, and General Jean-Claude Allard spoke to Sputnik about the issue.

France faces a safety issue which is of great importance today.  Recently, several mass terrorist attacks have taken place in the country, after which François Bayrou, MoDem representative and Mayor of Pau, wants to introduce a compulsory military training for the young with the goal of protecting France more effectively in the future.

“We have a trained professional army which can act on the war field since terrorism increased. But we still cannot resist terrorists. That is why I believe that the debate about whether it is necessary to introduce six-month service is positive,” Frédérique Lefebvre told Sputnik.

According to him, France suffers from the fact that different social strata does not mix together. While this newly introduced service will allow to carry it out.
Frédérique Lefebvre is a defender of the so-called system  “act”, which he offered to the parliament the other day.

The system’s logic is that middle school education should be compulsory and end at the age of 16, which must be then followed by military service starting from 18 years old.

“I want to prepare the youth to build a common future. For this reason, I believe that after middle school every adolescent has to take up higher education or pass military training on a compulsory level,” maintained the deputy of the Republican Party.

General Jean-Claude Allard, Senior Researcher of International and Strategic Relations University (IRIS), on the other hand, believes that military training should be done at school.

As Allard spoke, the real question is what and how to change and improve the French education system.

“It is impossible to make up for what was lost in the teenage years. You cannot even compare 13 years of school to two years of military service. That is when adolescents actually learn what national solidarity is,” explained the general to Sputnik.

Allard then continues that when you have to deal with terrorists, who act among the crowd, or with suspicious individuals who commit a terror act, you will need well trained policemen, gendarmes, and specially educated military forces who know how to ensure citizens’ safety.

“There is no way teenagers can be educated in this in just six months,” said Allard.