The multilingual contents of the site are the result of an automatic translation.
 

 
 
 
 
 
Français
English
Français
English
 
 
 
View
 
 
 
View
 
Saut de ligne
Saut de ligne

The universal national service, what will it take for France?

Reflection circle G2S - n°21
The Army in society
Saut de ligne
Saut de ligne

Le GDI (2S) Jean-Claude ALLARD believes that the SNU is a bad answer to the ills of our youth. Broadly embracing the actions to be taken,

porr him "school is the first fight".


avec the creation of a high-level commission (16)for an experiment in 2019and a study by Parliament. For the time being, only the expectations and objectives of the proposal of La République en Marche, partly taken up by the official communications, are known and support the reflection here (17).

Their study raises questions about the content of the analysis of society, youth and the capabilities of the armed forces that may have led to the proposal for a United Nations system. A proposal that could distract attention from the real problems and not be totally in the spirit of the revolution wanted by the President of the Republic who wrote "The army [...] is not the natural way of supervising young people (...).18) "and " the School is the first fight (19) ». It involves political risks.

What ailments does SNU want to cure?

The campaign project, not included in the manifesto "Revolution (20)"In the same vein, the United Nations system must be "framed by the and the national gendarmerie" and defines its objectives and methods.

Reading them, one might wonder whether it is necessary to spend a few billion euros on the SNU. (21)to "learn life-saving gestures", " take stock of your health" ,have " community living experience". from all social backgrounds", for adults over 18 years of age who have spent a minimum of 13 years together in classrooms, playgrounds and in the hands of school medicine.

For " discipline and authority", how could this month-long exercise, for adults who have internalized 18 years of personal experience of the Republic, change their mentality?

As for "detecting difficulties at school", or providing " basic military training", including knowledge of "the country's strategic priorities and the major problems of the country", how could this exercise change their mentality? security issues" and wanting to develop "physical andsports activities", one can only be surprised to have to create an ad-hoc structure, to reAll this has to be done in one month, in a country where education, which is compulsory until the age of 16, is provided by a public sector representing a force of more than one million competitive people.tents and a budget of more than € 147.8 billion (not including private, consular and company education) with all the means for teaching, monitoring and evaluating intellectual and physical skills.

When to act?

Youth is beautiful, dynamic and intelligent. It is therefore capable, and deserves, to understand all this as early as possible in its schooling, socialisation and citizenship.

But they are also delinquents (around 217,000 minors involved in criminal cases in 2015, a figure that has remained more or less stable for several years22 , 70% of whom are between 14 and 17 years of age). She also has matricide tendencies (18,500 reports of radicalization according to the Minister of the Interior, of which 16%, or 2,960, are adolescents). It therefore appears that there is a need to focus on the civic education of young people at the earliest possible stage. Entering into delinquency, or Islamist radicalisation at the age of 14, means not having had the basics of life in society beforehand. Entering it later also means not having had, throughout childhood and adolescence, the civic and moral architecture that opens the way to citizenship and secularism, that accepts the religious, but in the private sphere.

If we leave all this lying fallow, then we have to ask ourselves about our responsibility in the figures quoted above. And, as a corollary, on our capacity to make adults adhere to these objectives in four 35-hour weeks23 . And consequently, with Renan, to ask ourselves whether this adherence should not first of all be "an everyday plebiscite ", from which adolescents cannot be excluded , without showing a certain contempt for them and preparing serious threats to the future society they will form.

As for the armed forces-nation bond that should be "strengthened", the 201724 Political Confidence Barometer tells us that the population's level of confidence in the armed forces is 82 per cent. Isn't the risk rather to drag the armies towards a charge that is unsuitable for them and to make them lose their aura?

Lhe political risks

There are undeniable advantages to the SNU. It allows for immediate political communication on the theme of the regained authority of the Republic. Entrusted to the armies, it will function well, whatever the material difficulties. And the voluntarist display of these successes will conceal the unresolved problems of national cohesion.

But the real question is how long will this positive perception of the fundamental movements last?that will be triggered by the inevitable interpretation of the reality of the concept of universal national service.

If, in the face of the breakdown of security, lack of respect for secularism, the deterioration of living together and the rejection of national sentiment, the Republic withdraws into a United Nations system; if it does not try to find a solution to the problem, it will not be able to do so.If it does not seek first and foremost to reinvest the geographical, societal and mental spaces in which its political, administrative and moral authority is flouted, then this project could be perceived as a "national project". tacit acceptance of the national divide and the nuisance of its instigators.

In short, a resignation.

Moreover, the content of the SNU could pave the way for a vast movement of rejection on the part of the families. Could they not see cynicism in this very courageous observation of the lack of education, instruction (illiteracy) and the birth of a new generation of children?health check-ups, only followed by a promise to treat them only in a short window of one month in adulthood?

As for youth, would a large part of them not come to reject teachings, which are after all quite trivial, already received and understood, while they are in a transition phase towards a professional career?

If the Republic manifested itself daily, in its benevolent fullness and in its legitimate authority, throughout its territory and among each of its citizens, would we today be witnessing the disintegration of the "Republic"?

"social cohesion"? Recognize the authority of the Republic and respect it during the four weeks of the SNU, certainly, but before and after?

Today, is it a question of rallying millions of French people to a shared and fraternal citizenship or of locking the Republic and its youth behind the closed doors of a four-week SNU?

So what is to be done?

"Oui, la France est volonté (25) »

To be fully part of the dynamic that has pushed the Nation to rally the political project of renewal that has been proposed to it. This dynamic must inspire a more ambitious, more complex, but more promising project along the following broad lines.

1. Gaining strategic situational awareness in a holistic approach

Building membership of the Republic presupposes conducting a detailed analysis of the state of our society, taking an uncompromisingly critical look at our actions, and having a real ambition to be shared by the entire population.

Detailed analysis of our society: let's take a step back into reality and first conduct a situation assessment keeping in mind this admonition to avoid any error of analysis: "Little by little reality is moving away. The world of power buildsimaginary constructions (26) ».

Critical eye: reflect on this sentence written by an officer in 1932 « Our time is hard on authority. Morals are breaking it, laws tend to weaken it (27)».

Ambition: to understand how armies build authority and discipline. Let's read this book: " Command and Brotherhood, the exercise of authority in the Army ". (28)».

It emphasizes the pillars of authority and voluntary discipline: "The feeling of belonging to a human community proud of itself and confident in its ability; the feeling of a strong individual and collective responsibility towards comrades, chiefs, the army, the Nation".

Restoring these two conditions of this « daily plebiscite29» which makes the Nation, it is built and maintained throughout a lifetime and is not imposed on adults in four weeks. We must restore pride to our entire community and develop a sense of responsibility.

2. Bringing the existing situation to life and applying the military's "feedback " method

In order to halt the breakdown of republican cohesion, a consequence of uncivil, delinquent, community and radical behaviour, affecting an ever-increasing proportion of adolescents and young adults, it is necessary toIt is education for citizenship, undertaken at the earliest possible stage and applied on a daily basis over the long term, that the Republic must consolidate and support with determination. This is the meaning of numerous legislative and ministerial texts30 and "citizens'" plans.

The first question is to question the capacity of the responsible institutions to fulfil their missions, to diagnose their needs and to support them, politically and in terms of ways and means.

What exists is first and foremost the school, and the will of the President affirming : " School is the first fight" . The school is vested by law with the responsibility of dispensing all knowledge. If we judge that the results so far have not been conclusive, let's do a feedback exercise and correct the weak points immediately.

The Minister of National Education is working on this. He is asking us to trust (31) and he's seeking the restoration of authority in the school... (32).

Let the teachers work without including a critical filter downstream that can interpret it as a measure of distrust and let us express our confidence in them.

There are also sports and cultural associations that interact with young people. Let us energetically bring the " Citizens for Sport" plan (33)».

All men and women are involved on a daily basis in education and sport, but also in all the institutions of the Republic, whether civil servants or elected officials, and in private companies. They are in the places where citizenship and civic-mindedness are forged on a daily basis, and they must be supported.

They are " fighters for the rules of the Republic and we have no right to abandon them (34)».

3. The armies have a role in supporting the main actors mentioned above.

"The army... is not the natural way to supervise young people (35)».

The armies, the ultimate ratio for the security of the Nation, as the President stated in Revolution, can only have a supporting role, which is also provided for and defined in the 2016 national defence and education protocol. A very comprehensive action plan, the linchpin of which in the field are the units, largely consumed by the operational and departmental military delegations.

It would require :

▪ reinforce, at least by doubling it, this departmental chain, as the hundred or so departmental military delegates must reto meet the demands of 11,331 secondary schools and academic trinomas;

▪ create a unit within the reserve, in each department, with former military personnel to help them disseminate knowledge of the armed forces in schools and throughout the Nation in coordination with the defence correspondents of the municipalities;

▪ facilitate the involvement of former military associations in this educational work;

▪ create, at the central level, a centre to prepare the indispensable educational resources.

Armies can also have a role model role and, as such, be called upon to teach their philosophy and practice of command as theorized in "Command and Fraternity".

4. What about the notion of service?

This notion must first be explored in greater depth before it can be instrumentalized. It covers

two realities:

a) that of the service that citizens render to the Nation, in the case of former military service or current civil service;

b) that of the service that the Nation renders to the citizens, in the case of adapted military service, voluntary military service and EPIDE.

Universal national service will be neither. It is useless.

However, the concept of service should not be abandoned, but, applying the principle of economy of forces, services should be created that correspond to needs.

The 2015 report of the National Assembly36 opens up a number of avenues for improving the current service systems that must be followed. They are to be supplemented by four targeted measures for mandatory services:

a) a moral universal service that involves all citizens in the name of the slogan "Don'task yourselfwhat your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" . This will be the most difficult, but the most exhilarating to put in place for those who decide to do so. We must show each citizen, as the armies do for each soldier (confer: Command and Brotherhood ), that they have an educational role in transmitting our republican model, motivate and support them. Indeed, "Transmission is at the heart of our nation37". 37 This universal moral service is a vital political project for our country and its people in whom we must have confidence. "... trust that this buried will is there, but it is there, and it desires good and justice."» ;

(b) military service of officers. For the great secret of armies to consolidate authority and obtain discipline is the training of cadres who then bring these concepts to life Read "Command and Fraternity " . These officers are those who have power: Category A civil servants and elected national officials who must have performed military service. It is a democratic ideal of training elites, theorized by Aristotle. "It is fair to argue that the only true school of command is obedience. (39) "» ;

c) a reception service for new applicants for Frenchcitizenship, regardless of age, who have not followed the national education and sports curricula mentioned aboveThis is a twofold objective that covers the service that the Nation renders by giving them all the tools for better civic and professional integration and the momentary gift of their time to signify their acceptance and recognition. "To wantFrance is to want its values40;

(d) a social integration service, providing ways and means of appropriate military service, which is compulsory for populations of convicted young offenders and constitutes an alternative penalty giving priority to the objective of reintegration. For it is necessary "to open an adult and transparent reflection on the purpose of sentences"41 and it isargued here, in this reflection, that the sentence must be real and must give priority to rehabilitation.

In conclusion, the United Nations system project is worrying because it does not put young people and the institutions in charge at the heart of the project; because it reduces citizenship and the spirit of defence to a short meeting; because it does not seem to be in the spirit of the President's objective: " because he makes a false analysis of the competences of the armed forces. And, above all, because he seems to be trying to dodge the fundamental problems.

As a global solution, it does not comply with the good principle of " energizing all citizens, strengthening the weakest" . The application of this principle requires a broader and more ambitious project involving all the French in a vast effort, to which they will consent.all the more willingly that they know confusedly:

"That facing the reality of the world [...] will restore hope (ibid.).42) ». They still need to be engaged in this way.

----------------------------------------

16 October 2017, creation of a high-level commission to submit its recommendations in spring 2018.

17 https://storage.googleapis.com/en-marche-prod/documents/adherents/4-plan-transformation/fiches-syntheses/fiche-service- national.pdf

18 Emmanuel Macron, Revolution, Éditions XO Pocket, Paris, 2017, p. 185.

19 Ré volution,op.cit. , page 109.

20 Ré volution,op.cit .

21 Approximately €10 to 12 billion to set up, then €2 to 3 billion at cruising speed.

22 Revolution, op.cit., p. 167.

23 It seems unlikely that the SNU will not comply with labour law, particularly with the need to respect European Directive 003/88/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 November 2003.

24 http://www.cevipof.com/fr/le-barometre-de-la-confiance-politique-du-cevipof/

25 Revolution, op.cit., p. 167.

26 Revolution,op.cit., p. 51.

27 Charles De Gaulle, Le fil de l'épée, Le livre de poche n° 3545, Paris, 1973, p. 63.

28 État-major de l'armée de Terre, Paris, May 2016, http://www.defense.gouv.fr/content/download/467991/7465134/Exercice_commandement.pdf.

29 Ernest Renan, What is a Nation?Lecture delivered on the 11thMarch 11, 1882 at the Sorbonne,

http://classiques.uqac.ca/classiques/renan_ernest/qu_est_ce_une_nation/qu_est_ce_une_nation.html

30 For defence education, Act No. 97-1019 of 28 October 1997 on the reform of the national service; for education

moral and civic education (EMC) and the health education path: law of 8 July 2013; for first aid gestures: article L 312-16 of the education code; for the action plan against theradicalisation and terrorism (PART), interministerial directive of May 2016.

31 Interview with Jacques Julliard, Marianne n°1077, 3-9 November 2017.

32Le Parisien, 13 November 2017.

33 http://www.sports.gouv.fr/accueil-du-site/a-la-une/article/Le-plan-Citoyens-du-sport

34 Ré volution,op.cit., p. 172.

35 Révolution, op.cit., p. 185 .

36 Information Report No. 3322 of the National Assembly dated 9 Dec. 2015, http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/14/pdf/rap-info/i3322.pdf.

37 Ré volution,op.cit., p. 173.

38 Révolution, op.cit., p. 40.

39 Aristotle, Politics , Book III, Chapter II, § 9.

40 Révolution, op.cit.,p. 176.

41 Revolution, op.cit., p.190 .

42 Revolution, op.cit., p. 13.

Séparateur
Title : The universal national service, what will it take for France?
Author (s) : GDI (2S) Jean-Claude ALLARD
Séparateur


Armée