The Bundeswehr: Reinforcements on the Horizon?
Increased Advocacy for Mandatory Enlistment: Most Support Its Implementation
In light of escalating threats from Russia, the Union is ramping up pressure on coalition partner, the SPD, to decide on reinstating conscription without delay. "We're running out of time before doomsday," affirmed Chief of Staff Thorsten Frei to Deutsche Presse-Agentur. The black-red coalition needs to come to a swift agreement on modifyering our strategy to reach the widely acknowledged goal.
The goal is to significantly beef up the Bundeswehr in response to the threat landscape. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius estimates the requirement for an additional 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers - the current standing is slightly over 180,000.
Klingbeil and the Path to Conscription
Initially, SPD leader Lars Klingbeil intends to keep focusing on voluntary enlistment and incentives like a free driver's license. Yet, he has expressed readiness to initiate preparations for compulsory service. The government should, according to Klingbeil, "already establish the necessary conditions so that compulsory recruitment could also take place." These conditions encompass adequate conscription centers, barracks, and trainers.
Klingbeil's statement places him in a tricky situation within his own party, which will be holding a party conference next week. In their coalition agreement, Union and SPD agreed on a military service that is "initially based on voluntarism." SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch interpreted this to mean that there will be no reintroduction of conscription before the next federal election.
Juso Chief: A Solution from the Past
Juso chairman Philipp Türmen also refers to the coalition agreement. "The SPD remains committed to voluntarism, as does the coalition agreement. Preparing for conscription is, therefore, inappropriate," he stated to Spiegel. Conscription is "an answer from the past and not a solution for the future." It severely impacts the lives of young people, but its benefits are questionable.
Klingbeil also underscored, "There will be no return to the old conscription, where all 18-year-old men were drafted." This shift had already taken place before the suspension of conscription in 2011. The number of those discharged had soared dramatically in the years preceding, and even among those deemed fit for the Bundeswehr, a large number were no longer enlisted. At that time, the issue of military justice was under discussion.
Pistorius Demands a Sizable Strengthening
The current size of the Bundeswehr stands at 203,000 soldiers - yet, this number has not been reached even through voluntary recruitment. Pistorius' calculations necessitate the force to expand to 230,000 to 240,000 soldiers.
Frei finds it difficult to fathom that this can be achieved solely through voluntary military service. First, one must agree on when the new target size should be achieved, said the Chief of Staff. "And then one must consider: How much time can we afford to take to attain this goal on a voluntary basis? My personal assessment is that we actually have little time for that, since the threat situation is immense."
Popular Support for Conscription
The majority of Germans are in favor of reintroducing conscription. A survey by the polling institute YouGov on behalf of dpa revealed that a total of 54 percent support the idea of reinstating a duty to serve in the German armed forces. 36 percent support conscription for both men and women, while 18 percent believe only men should be conscripted.
Support for conscription hikes with age. While only a third (35 percent) of those aged 18 to 29 are in favor, two-thirds (66 percent) of those over 70 are.
The parliamentary leader of the Left party, Sören Pellmann, criticized the plans of the Union and SPD, stating that they are detrimental to the younger generation. "The youth will have to bear the brunt of this further militarization of society in the long run," he declared to dpa. "Therefore, they rightly reject the return to conscription by a large margin."
What is the stance of the SPD leader, Lars Klingbeil, regarding the reinstatement of conscription in light of the threat from Russia? He has expressed readiness to initiate preparations for compulsory service, but emphasizes the need for adequate conscription centers, barracks, and trainers.
Despite the majority of Germans supporting the reinstatement of conscription, the Juso chairman, Philipp Türmen, considers conscription to be "an answer from the past and not a solution for the future," severely impacting the lives of young people with questionable benefits.
