From Thursday June 4 to Saturday June 6, the best-known monument in Gard hosts the Arcus forum. Three days where the general public will be able to discover all the professions of military and civil defense.
“Arcus”, its code name, has already been displayed on advertising panels in Nîmes for several days, with the Pont du Gard in blue-white-red in the background. The Latin word which means “arche” was not chosen at random. “We wanted a name that caught the eye, that got people talking, and that connected the military with civilians”explains straightforwardly Stève Carleton, general of the 6e light armored brigade (BLB), which brings together half a dozen regiments from the south of France, and whose headquarters is located in Nîmes.
From Thursday June 4 to Saturday June 6, 2026, the brigade is at the center of the holding of this Arcus forum, a fair right at the foot of the bridge where the general public is invited to discover a huge range of professions offered by the three armies in its ranks, but not only that.
Military and civilians
Thus, the paths all along the right bank of the Pont du Gard site will be dotted with barnums and stands bringing together emblematic regiments of the three armies (land, sea, air and space) and the gendarmerie. Included in the list are the Foreign Legion, the Equipment Regiment and the Nîmes Train Regiment, the SPAHIS Cavalry Regiment (Valence), the Alpine Hunters, the Air Force, the Marine Artillery and the Marseille Fire Brigade. “There will be a bit of a show with demonstrations”promises Lieutenant-Colonel David Mazel with maneuvers from the gendarmerie surveillance and intervention platoon (PSIG), the canine brigade or the mine squad. In the air, we expect passages of civil security planes, and a helicopter will take off regularly since the Pont du Gard for flights over the site on Friday.
But the list is growing with the presence, too, of delegations of firefighters, civil security and even the national police. “All participate in the momentum of national defense”, recalls General Carleton, citing the climatic or industrial crises as examples.
A large panel, therefore, which should attract at least 10,000 people over the three days, the army hopes.
Doing business with companies
The first day, Thursday June 4, is special and not open to the general public because it is mainly devoted to an army conference in which 210 Gard companies are announced among the guests. Another way for national defense to stay in touch with civil society and get the best out of each other. “This prepares the economic world to react in the event of a crisis, to know who to turn to and how, details Lieutenant-Colonel David Maze. Companies also have knowledge that could be useful to the army.”
Anticipate war
This is the second time that a show of this scale has been organized at Pont du Gard. A symbolic choice in the communication strategy of the Ministry of the Armed Forces. The military, for many years, has wanted to increase contacts with civilian populations. Objective: to diversify their ranks when it is not a question of swelling them.“We remain the largest national recruiter, détaille le général Carleton, advancing to 25,000 recruitments per year for all corps combined, including 16,000 for the army alone. Our first target is 18-25 year olds, who have often never heard of the army before. These young people must be able to ask questions of the young soldiers and gendarmes. But we also have a wide opening in terms of sought-after experiences.”
The event is also part of the message that the armies have been sending for several months in view of the tense geopolitical situation that Europe has been experiencing since 2022 with Russia under very high tension.“I take up the words of General Mandon (Chief of Defense Staff, who foresees a war involving France by 2029, Editor’s note)and we also have a duty to raise awareness, General Carleton insists. We are in a world where force is considered necessary to resolve conflicts. And the French are quite capable of understanding that the world has changed.”
They are citizen reservists
In 2026, the army will have approximately 2,200 citizen reservists in its ranks. Civilians who offer time and services to the military. “It’s a wake-up call,” comments Philippe Gas, 60-year-old boss of an advertising agency in Nîmes. “My country has given me a lot, this is my way of giving back. And with the tensions we are experiencing today, I don’t want to bury my head in the sand. We have seen this for several years: Russia is in a war economy. If, in Europe, we don’t quickly become lucid about this, we will be in danger.”
Former elected official, now in the management of the Bastide Medical group, Nicolas Balmelle also joined the citizen reserve of the army two years ago. A commitment that he justifies by a spirit of patriotism, the same as that which would have maintained his parallel political and associative commitments. For him, the reserve is a discreet and significant link: “The army seeks to create a link with the business world, and this can be understood in its logic. Tomorrow, if we ever enter into an armed conflict, my position can become a relay so that the Bastide group, established in the health sector, can make the link to provide medical equipment as quickly as possible.”
