These French people tell why they chose to take part in the industrial defense reserve

Faced with the growing needs of the armies, companies use reservists from industry to strengthen production. Objective: 3,000 reservists by 2030.

How to meet the need for labor in the defense industry? According to a study by the DGA with 2,500 companies in 2024, the armament industry is sorely lacking in arms and brains: some 10,000 positions were immediately in power throughout the country in December 2024. To compensate for this lack of workforce, the government launched the industrial defense reserve two years ago. This is a particular reserve intended for technical professions where volunteers may be made available to defense companies.

For two years, partnerships have been signed between the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) and defense companies. And reservists gradually flock, like at Arquus, the leading supplier in land vehicles in the army. The company, which has five production sites across France, signed its agreement in November 2024.

The goal: to have mechanics, qualified workers, civil society executives to help them occasionally produce more.

“We industrialists, if we are asked to go up in cadence, we can have reservists in our ranks which would allow us to increase the cadence of our manufacturing lines. We are ready to organize to accommodate more labor.”

Chantal Dognin, Director of Human Resources at Arquus

in franceinfo

KNDS, which produces terrestrial armaments and tanks, is also preparing to welcome these mobilizable reservists. They are mostly young retirees from industry, such as Éric Marigny, 62. He worked 42 years as ausinier on the Roanne (Loire) site of Nexter, the former name of Knds, before being called a few months ago.“As I believe that I am still in physical and intellectual state not too bad, I think I can bring something to KNDS or Industrial Defense Reserve (RID) Using my skills and different knowledge “, Slides the young retiree.

Before justifying your choice to commit as a reservist: “By personal conviction, after 42 years of career inside this company, I am attached to it. If I integrate the industrial reserve, it is also to be able to be of service. I think it will have to mobilize a little bit of the world”, justifies Éric Marigny.

Scania, the heavyweight manufacturer, is one of the first companies to have signed this partnership with the army. Five of her employees are reservists, such as Maëlie Pho, head of programs. “”The context means that the commitment that I have even more meaning. Today, in any case, I am even more ready to work for the French armies and to give them all the support they need “, she says.

At Scania, she oversees workshops, staff, quality. Her mission remains the same when she works with the army, even if … “We do not work with the same materials, we completely change paradigm. Today, I work in a private company with its processes and I enter the armed services to try to support them in the optimization of their processes by relying on my experience”,, specifies Maëlie.

The objective of the General Directorate of Armament is to recruit 3,000 reservists by 2030. However, this reserve project is only its start, specify these companies. For Arquus and Knds, the ten days of training will only take place in the second half.