Army Union Advocates for Strengthened Military Draft as Public Support Grows
Bringing Back the Draft: Germany Ponders Compulsory Military Service
As concerns about Russia's threat grow, the German government is ratcheting up the pressure on coalition partner SPD to make a decision on reinstating conscription. This pressing need is underscored by Chief of Staff Thorsten Frei, who recently declared, "We can't afford to wait till doomsday."
Defense Minister Boris Pistorius believes the Bundeswehr must expand, citing an essential need for an extra 50,000 to 60,000 troops—an increase that would bring the total active personnel to over 240,000.
Klingbeil Ready for Conscription Preparations
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil suggested relying on incentives and voluntary service to achieve this expansion at first. However, he has expressed readiness to start preparing for mandatory service, too. That means establishing sufficient conscription offices, barracks, and trainers to facilitate the process.
Klingbeil's stance has placed him on rocky ground within his party, especially since the coalition agreement states that military service will initially be based on voluntary service. Matthias Miersch, the SPD parliamentary group leader, interpreted this as meaning that conscription won't be reintroduced before the next federal election.
Kicking Up a Storm
Philipp Türmer, Juso chairman, refers to the coalition agreement and criticizes preparing a draft for compulsory service. He insists that the party relies on voluntary service and views mandatory conscription as an outdated solution. Türmer fears that conscription interferes heavily with young people's lives and questions its effectiveness.
Klingbeil emphasized that the return to the old conscription is off the table. Yet, it's worth noting that the number of German men exempted from service had been steadily increasing before conscription was suspended in 2011.
Size Matters
Currently, the Bundeswehr stands at just over 203,000 soldiers, a figure that hasn't been reached through voluntary recruitment alone. Pistorius has stated that the force needs to become twice as large to meet NATO requirements.
Still, Frei doubts that this growing target can be attained through a purely voluntary service. He suggests that there must be a clear agreement on when this new target should be reached and how much time the nation can afford to achieve this goal on a voluntary basis.
The People's Voice
According to a poll by YouGov, a majority of Germans (54%) support reestablishing conscription, with 36% advocating for both men and women, and 18% suggesting only men should serve.
While imposing conscription for women would require a constitutional amendment, the current black-red coalition could potentially reintroduce conscription for men alone. However, left-leaning parties oppose conscription, with 69% of Left party voters favoring maintaining voluntary service.
Age-Old Questions
Support for conscription varies with age. While one-third of those aged 18 to 29 favor it, two-thirds of those over 70 do. This polarization has ignited a passionate debate about the future of military service in Germany.
Critics argue that the youth will shoulder the burden of further militarization, with Sören Pellmann, Left party parliamentary leader, stating, "The young generation will pay the price for this militarization in the long run." He believes they are right in rejecting the return to conscription by a large margin.
- The ongoing discussion about war-and-conflicts and policy-and-legislation has led to considerations of reinstating compulsory military service in Germany.
- The call for this change comes amid concerns over defense capabilities and NATO requirements, with the need for an expansion of the Bundeswehr and a target to double its size being debated intensely within politics and general news.
