The French Army is working to establish a third division, which will be composed primarily of reservists.
General Pierre Schill, Chief of Staff of the French Army, announced this during a conference in Paris, as reported by the Forces Operations Blog.
The new large unit is planned to be deployed for the operational defense of French territory in the event of a major crisis or war.
Currently, the French Army has two divisions—the 1st in Besançon and the 3rd in Marseille. The new unit will be the third in the chain.
In the event that main forces are redeployed to Eastern Europe, the new division is tasked with defending strategically important sites within France itself.
As of September 2025, the French Army had 29,527 active reservists, and by 2030, they aim to increase this number to 80,000.
By 2035, the reserve is planned to be increased to 105,000 personnel, more than half of whom will serve in the Army.
In October 2025, 800 reservists had already participated in the Vulcain exercises, where they practiced countering destabilization scenarios.
Starting in 2026, the French Army also plans to establish a separate reserve brigade, which will serve as an intermediate step toward creating a division.
Additional funds for equipping the reserve and new volunteer units will be allocated in the updated law on military programming.
France is strengthening its reserve forces amid growing threats in Europe and the need to prepare for a possible major conflict by the end of the decade.
Militarnyi recently provided a detailed account of the reorganization of NATO ground forces in France following the end of the Cold War.
