Volunteer National Service at the 27th Alpine Infantry Battalion in Annecy, Digi Mart USA News (Annecy, France): The new volunteer national service program, announced at the end of 2025 by President Emmanuel Macron, is open to young people aged 18 to 25. Under this new framework, the 27th Alpine Infantry Battalion (27e BCA) in Annecy has enlisted its very first recruits.
Forty-two young people from across France signed contracts for ten months of service. Their first day, held last Wednesday, included signing contracts in the battalion’s honor hall, a haircut, a medical examination and receiving their kit.
Colonel Adrien Chantrel, commander of the battalion, said the recruits “can be proud of the choice they have made.” He said their arrival is a real asset, stating, “They chose to serve their country, and we are enthusiastic. It is a real reinforcement for us.”
The first month will be devoted to basic military training, including learning army codes and procedures, handling weapons and mountain marching. In December, the recruits will receive their fourragère, a braided cord worn as a military distinction.
Afterward, they will form a full section of the battalion and carry out Alpine infantry activities, as well as missions under Operation Sentinelle, the French security deployment protecting strategic and sensitive sites.
Among the recruits is Adel, 23, who left his sales job in the Paris region. “I wanted to discover the military environment and the profession of soldier,” he said.
“I also wanted to serve my country.” Five of the new recruits are women, including Héloïse, 21, a performing arts worker who said, “I have always been drawn to the army.” She added, “I am still looking for my path, and I think this will do me a lot of good.”
At the end of their volunteer national service, the recruits will be able to continue with the army or return to civilian life.
