The army, long nicknamed the “Great Silent”, is undergoing a cultural revolution to meet its new needs for resources and skills. The international context obviously plays a role in this reconfiguration promoting engagement. The beauty of the army units has never been more visible since the introduction of the new national service in January 2026.
Thus, the auditorium of the Pêpinière will once again be transformed into an army setting, this Saturday, April 25.
Blind, drones, and a helicopter simulator are on the agenda. After the impressive Orion Jeun’Est operation on March 27 bringing together all the army units of the Northeast quarter of France, it’s now the turn of military maintenance to be presented to civilians.
An unprecedented operation planned long ago by Captain Sébastien, head of the Center for Information and Recruitment of the Army of the Terre in Nancy: “We started the steps in the fall of 2025. It is the first time that we highlight the maintenance of our regiments. In fact, it is an essential and well-known mechanism but suffers from a lack of attractiveness and vocation because they are behind-the-scenes trades. Culturally, recruits do not think about maintenance services, and we needed to find a way to introduce them to this universe.”
Two military trucks, a Griffon armored vehicle from the 1st infantry regiment of Sarrebourg, drones from the 61st artillery regiment in Sémoutiers, and a helicopter flight simulator are requisitioned for the occasion while the 3rd engineering regiment of Charleville will offer an educational exercise on helicopter kinematics.
“We have not quantified anything in terms of return, but within the army, we know that maintenance is currently the sector that needs the most recruitment. We have modernized a lot of equipment, increased budgets, and now we are looking for maintenance skills. We are slowly implementing systems to offer more internships and apprenticeships, we are starting to sign partnerships with high schools, like recently with Sarrebourg. Today, we need to dispel the image of a dead-end job in the military maintenance world.”
A green space this Saturday (10am to 5pm) at the Pêpinière.
