The formula is chanted like an obsession. It is a question of “moral forces”. The slogan was at the heart of the July 14 parade and visually inscribed in the logo of the ceremony: we could see the medal of the Resistance, whose year 2023 marks the 80th anniversary, and a relief of the Arc de Triomphe entitled The Song of Departure. The “moral forces” were also in the street, in this army-nation link that the military parade must embody, but also in the heart of the troops. For armies preparing for uncertain times, this is a pillar to consolidate.
For the first time this year, reservists pounded the pavement of the Champs-Élysées as such: the reservists of the 9th marine infantry brigade but also the reservists of the railway security of the SNCF, heirs of the resistant railway workers of The Second World War. On July 14, a national holiday and a military parade “remind us that certain things are worth committing to and fighting for, that peace is not a comfort that we buy with concessions”, recalled the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron during his speech to the armed forces on July 13 at the Hôtel de Brienne.
But if the military institution is popular, the president and chief of the armies is contested. On Friday, the head of state was partially booed during the parade, a sign that national unity is still a long-term task. To support and give thickness to the armies, the Head of State intends to develop the “reserve”. First, the citizen reserve, which is made up of volunteers committed to spreading the spirit of defence. And especially on the operational reserve, made up of volunteers who are ready to give their time for the armies and serve alongside them if necessary.
“The ambition of the 2024-2030 military programming law is to achieve around 2030-2035 one reservist for every two active soldiers”, explained on France Inter the Chief of the Armed Forces General Burkhard. It is therefore a question of doubling the number of operational reservists from 40,000 to 80,000 in 2030 and reaching 100,000 in 2035 for an army of 200,000 soldiers. A reservist “can perform the same tasks as an active soldier: the goal is that one is the most easily interchangeable”, he continued. The rise in power of the reserves will require adaptations, in particular to equip the volunteers. The selection criteria will have to be modified to be less discriminating. The age limit will be raised. Finally, it will be necessary to achieve a change of mentality: many “shameful” reservists still hide their commitment from their employer.
To give visibility to this new priority, the Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu presided over a double ceremony on July 5 at the Invalides and the Hôtel de Brienne, paying tribute to the reservists and the companies that support them. Thanks to this civilian support, the military hope to be better prepared for hybrid threats affecting, for example, cyber, attacking the resilience of nations or taking advantage of the fragility of societies. So many subjects that society as a whole can be confronted with. “Who better placed than a “militarized civilian” to defend the nation in the face of the challenges of hybridity, that is to say a “militarized civilian” issue? “, launched the minister.
“In uniform, whether you are active or in the operational reserve, you risk your life to defend the homeland,” insisted Sébastien Lecornu. “Where the uniform does not distinguish, where the commitment does not vary, there is no need to distinguish,” he continued. He therefore set the objective of “the perfect integration of operational reserve soldiers into the ranks of the armies, by entrusting them with the same missions – including in overseas operations”. “The reserve must be mobilized quickly and usefully the day when a known danger, current or foreseeable, would occur for our nation”, he continued. He assured that certain units would be made up solely of reservists like “future coastal flotillas of the national navy” or squadrons on each air base. The armies, taken aback by these announcements, will have to start preparing.
