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The French army has historically close ties to the DOM-TOM. In the context of the decolonization, attempts were made to legitimize the French army among the local population, for example through the adapted military service (SMA). Today, the army is all the more important as source of professional opportunities in the overseas departments, regions, and communities (DROM-COM) because the inactive population is much higher there than in mainland France. Of all the young people in the French overseas territories, Polynesians are the most overrepresented among professional soldiers. This specificity is examined here using census data, the Feti’i e fenua survey, and qualitative interviews. The articles looks at the place of the army in this region, the role of the family, and the particularities of the Polynesian SMA.