>It was called the 'National military service'.

I am a male French citizen aged 65, so I know first hand.

There are several differences:

* It was not compulsory, as in most countries including US, there were actually several alternatives (appelé scientifique, etc).

* Only males were the subject of "conscription".

* The goal was to make most citizen ready to take arms, and from my own experience, I think it did a good job at that.

* Young people from suburban areas where not specially targeted (see what said Dupont-Moretty)

It was compulsory for all males. "Appelé scientifique" was a way of doing it in a 'non-fighting capacity', so to speak.

I remember when I turned 18 and I received a letter from the Ministry of Defence 'ordering'* me to report to the local barracks for an initial physical. That's how it was. After that either you tried to get out of it for medical reasons or delayed it because of University studies (at which point you could indeed apply to do it in a technical/civilian position).

I was lucky that they abolished it while I was at University so there was nothing left for me to do after I graduated. I say 'lucky' but I was actually disappointed as I had planned to apply for the "cooperation" i.e. to be sent abroad for 1.5 years in a technical capacity.

* I added quotes but it was really a legal order and they used to send the gendarmes knock on your door at some point if they didn't hear from you.

> I say 'lucky' but I was actually disappointed as I had planned to apply for the "cooperation" i.e. to be sent abroad for 1.5 years in a technical capacity.

I've thought that implementing something along these lines in the US would be a fine idea. Everyone, male or female, going off for a couple years of either military training, domestic work (building trails, cleaning up after natural disasters), or international work (Peace Corps on steroids). As an earlier poster said, it'd mix people up across classes and geography. When you get out, you get $10k in your pocket and a plane ticket anywhere in the country. I'm way past 18 now but as the person proposing it, I'd be entirely willing to go take part :)

Thanks for sharing,

Jean-Pierre

> It was not compulsory, as in most countries including US, there were actually several alternatives (appelé scientifique, etc).

The US last had conscription during the Vietnam War and has never had a general-purpose mandatory peacetime "National Service" equivalent. Our draft had deferments of various kinds as well, in addition to alternative service for conscientious objectors.

> people could get a driving license or a truck driving license as part of the training they got

For non-Europeans who might not appreciate the value, this is roughly $1,000 in value and many hours of {written,driving} lessons.

PS: love the De Funès reference in your username!

Actually, De Funes himself used this sentence as a reference to "L'Anglais Sans Peine", which is a famous book to learn English, since he was teaching English to his men.

CDLs in the US are similarly valuable.

US military truck drivers (88M) doesn't give you a civilian CDL as part of the training. You can use a CDL as the training part to get a military license though -- aside from having to have a specific license for every different vehicle to be qualified to drive them but that's as simple as driving around the block to get 'signed off'.

If you have a military drivers license you can drive on public streets in military vehicles but you can't use it to drive a civilian vehicle on military or public roads.

(used to be an 88M and driver testing NCO)

It doesn't get you a CDL but it gives you the experience needed to get a CDL with a tiny bit of book study and a truck to borrow and without incurring a bunch of debt or becoming an indentured servant to Swift of similar.

Someone who's day job is dicking around in an M911 will be able to get a CDL with minimal effort compared to some rando off the street and they will likely be able to skip the "spend a few years holding a steering wheel for a dry van and get treated like crap by dispatch" part of the truck driver career progression.

Not sure on often this is happening but I was told about many cases of officers abusing the recruits I don't like the idea of soldiers becoming tyrannical educators.